


like the weather

by SugarcoatedBrain



Category: tom holland - Fandom
Genre: Actor Tom Holland, Anxiety, Cute teacher, F/M, Meet-Cute, Tom Holland Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 33,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23326672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarcoatedBrain/pseuds/SugarcoatedBrain
Summary: Sienna works with twenty little monsters that she teaches maths and English to. She's always had her pupils' interests at heart but when her pupil's big brother barges into her very ordinary and tidy life, she's not quite sure what to do or how to feel.
Relationships: Tom Holland/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've started this one as I was a teacher myself. I really enjoyed it and then.. I lost my job. So it took me some months to go back to it and to actually keep writing about my characters. But I made it through the blank page and the resentment and I'm very happy to post about Sienna, today.  
> I hope you'll like her. I hope she'll remind you to be nice to teachers.  
> Lots of love Xx

The bell ringing was always welcomed with sighs of relief, from both parties in the room. The kids were usually very happy to say bye to the notebooks and the learning, and the teacher was generally happy that her day of work was coming to an end. Truth is, that evening, they all were even happier than they were usually. The day had been long, stormy, the natural light didn't really come all the way into the classroom and that bad weather had had an effect on the kids' behaviour. They had been particularly excited, moody and exhausting for the young teacher who had been pretty lost all day. Barely older than her students, she had on her side a proximity with their ways of thinking that particularly helped in the classroom and during recess.

Unfortunately for her, it also meant that half of the time, she wasn't taken seriously, whether it was by the kids, their parents or the head of the school. Balancing her textbooks in her arms, she wobbled a bit with her high heels and directed the kids to follow her to the school's doors. They were a bit late; the kids had had trouble copying their last lesson and were generally tired.

Good point was that they were on the last day of the week and were now leaving for a much needed and deserved weekend break. Everybody needed a bit of down time and she knew that she would enjoy it with all of her being.

It was a late afternoon of January, the kids were all wrapped up in coats, beanies and scarves and the weather had an incredible effect on them all. Everything was gloomy, cold and grey; making them feel like the day was dragging on and was longer than it really was. Everybody was lacking of sun vitamins, they were all exhausted and an entire day spent in class was getting too much for the kids. As much as she would have loved to spend their days playing board games, she knew she couldn't afford all this time spent on distraction, so instead, she found new ways to teach the kids that made them feel like it was a game. No test sheets, no lectures, just discoveries and eventually a lesson copied on their notebooks. Nothing too bad and they were loving it but it also took the young teacher an incredible amount of time of preparation ahead, which made her even more tired and she had to admit she snapped a handful of times. That day had been okay but it didn't mean she wasn't extremely tired all the less. Her general state made the fact that the day was coming to an end even more pleasant.

The kids and her had an habit to leave the school. She had asked them to come to her and tell her who was there to pick them up. It'd be longer than for the other classes but it allowed her to verify the identity of the adults coming picking the kids up and to chat with some parents, if needed. That day in particular, she had to discuss with a little girl's mom to tell her that her daughter had scrapped her knees by falling on the playground. Nothing major but she liked updating the parents about these kinds of stuff so they wouldn't discover it at home and wonder what the heck happened. As she was bidding the little girl's mom bye, she heard one of her students go nuts on her right side. Breaking into a run, the little red headed boy launched himself on a young man's torso, climbing up like a little monkey while the dude picked him up and hugged him tight. Furrowing her brows, she observed the two emotionally discussing and released her last pupil to his dad before she could approach them. Watching them together made her heart tighten. They were obviously smitten of each other, the tallest one playfully rubbing the smallest' head to mess with his hair, while the smallest couldn't stop laughing and trying to push his hands away. His little arms stuck around the biggest one's neck, he couldn't wipe off the smile on his lips. Coming up to them made her feel like she was intruding and bothering them, which was usually what she avoided to do at all costs. But she knew she couldn't let her student leave with a complete stranger, which is why she had to intervene, at some point.

“Hi, excuse me”, she breathed. “Patrick, care to explain why your mom isn't here?”

“Miss! This is my big brother, Tom”, he grinned, turning his head to her from the crook of his brother's neck.

“I didn't know you had another brother, Patrick”, she smiled. “Good evening, I'm Patrick's teacher”, she introduced herself.

“Tom”, he laughed, raising his head for the teacher to shake. “Sorry for barging in like that, Paddy didn't know I would be coming to get him tonight. I just came back home and it was a surprise for him.”

“No problem, but I'm gonna have to check with Patrick's permission slips and your ID. I've no doubt that you're indeed his brother but our principal is quite strict about these kinds of things”, she grimaced.

“No, no, sure”, he assured.

It didn't take much longer for the teacher to check the identity of the man in front of her. She compared the names with the ones on Patrick's permission slips and quickly released the two guys to head back home. Watching Patrick leave, curled up on his brother's hip, was a sight to have. The little boy was usually a very reserved student, barely talking in class and always shy to answer back to the teacher's questions. He had a couple of friends only and was usually one of the few to sit down during recess but he had a cheeky side that his teacher had learned to control and know. Patrick was a great kid, he had great grades and he usually was quick to understand new notions, apart from English. The teacher had met his parents a while ago, for an unformal meeting to discuss about Patrick's difficulties in English. They had agreed on checking the little boy up with a speech therapist and came back with no probing result. He was fine, he just couldn't grasp the concept of grammar. So far, Patrick was in difficulty with a major part of the English curriculum but he managed to balance his GPA with his excellent grades in maths. His parents helped him as much as possible and asked to meet the teacher once again to check the little dude's progress so far. They had hired an English lit student to come to their house and help him with new exercises and different lessons. He had progressed, for sure, but still didn't catch up with the rest of the class and it was getting frustrating for both parties. Patrick was a perfectionist and getting bad grades usually sent him into the poorest mood for the rest of the day. The teacher, on her side, had to take him on the side to revise the different notions while the others worked on worksheets but she had twenty kids under her watch and they all had to come at some point to get clarifications and help on some exercises. She had trouble balance everything out and sometimes, the poor Patrick ended up sitting next to her and waiting for all of the others to go back to their desks, only to hear "I'm sorry, but we have to move on to another subject now… I'll explain everything to you later, okay?" and all he could do was nod. It was heart-breaking to see a little boy like him struggle and get mad at himself over stupid stuff like grammar. Sure, it was damn important but the kid knew how to talk properly and how to count, he knew how to behave and what he shouldn't do. He shouldn't be put under so much pressure over when to put a comma in a sentence.

To see him so alive with his brother was amazing and something she wished she could see more often. The fact that she didn’t see him like that all the time made her feel like she was failing as a teacher, in a way.

The teacher gained back her classroom, sighing when she saw the general state the kids left the room behind. There were pieces of paper everywhere, scraps of eraser on every desk and one of the kids left their pencil case on their desk. Patiently, she grabbed every pen and pencil, put them back into the case and zipped it closed before tucking it inside the desk. She gathered the notebooks she needed to correct and grade, the worksheets she had to take a look on and carefully placed everything in her tote bag. She smiled at the memory of Patrick and his big brother, shook her head to focus and took another pile of books to correct them. It took her about half an hour to get through everything and when she was finally done, she sighed another time, putting back the pile on her desk, where they'll have to wait for Monday to get back to their kids. She grabbed her tote bag, her school bag (paid by her mother has a gift when she became a teacher) and her set of keys, before turning every light off and locking the door.

She wished her colleagues a nice weekend, escaped the principal by taking a detour and not walking in front of her office and finally breathed a big gulp of fresh air as she stepped outside of the school for the first time since 7am. Saying that she was exhausted would be underrating her state. She felt like the twenty little monsters she had as pupils had all took a bite off of her body and she was left with a cheese kind of structure. She could feel her legs heavy and her arms ached from all the writing and carrying books she had done in the day. Yawning in the street, she approached her car, unlocked it, loaded her bags on the back seat and finally sat in her tiny vehicle, ready to head back home. The day had been too long for her to just sit on her couch and watch a movie. Exhausted, the young woman made a beeline to her bathroom and started running a bath where she dropped a piece of a bubble bar from the local Lush shop in town. She dragged her feet all the way to her bedroom where she grabbed a book and finally stripped to let the hot water soothe her achy legs and sore back. Relieved by the warmness and the smell of the bubbles, she opened her book back to where she stopped it and finally forgot about her pupils.

Sometimes, it was nice to remember she wasn’t just a teacher.


	2. Chapter 2

There was a couple of things that made Sienna happy: a nice book, the sun warming her back when she was reading next to her window, when her favourite characters of her favourite TV shows were happy or finally getting together, the feeling when her bed was finally warm when she’d slip beneath the comforter after a long day or the way her pupils would smile at her when they’d do something a little bit funnier in class and they’d be totally behaving and into it. Like today, for example. Why be boring in arts class when they could throw paint at their sheets?

All dressed in very not-fashionable but very necessary plastic covers, the kids were enjoying the few nice rays of the sun outside, with cans of paint and brushes, making their own rendition of a Picasso. Of course, there had been a few incidents: one kid had knocked a can of paint over and the floor was now slippery, another one had taken their brush a bit too high while trying to pull their sleeves back up and had hit the face of another kid but all in one, they were happy, they were behaving and their work was pretty good for little kids. Sienna was a teacher for those moments, when she’d be able to work with the kids in unconventional ways but getting to the point anyway. She knew her colleagues wouldn’t appreciate the fact that the playground was now splattered with paint (even though it was supposed to be raining during the night and the whole mess would be erased by the drenching raindrops) and some of them were probably frowning behind their windows, seeing her class outside for something they could have done inside, but Sienna had had the green light from their headmaster and there was nothing stopping her. The kids were really into it, so into it that they didn’t make a fuss when it got time to tidy everything up and some of them took it upon themselves to clean the playground at the best of their abilities. Sienna only had to supervise the whole thing, make sure no one was crashing into anybody while trying to clean their brush at the small sink. They put the cans of paint back into the arts supply room and threw away their plastic covers, discovering sometimes, some small accidents on their clothes. Sienna knew some parents would have her head on a stick, so she had made sure to choose a paint that was as easily washable as possible. She took a little time before the bell would ring to make sure her kids weren’t smudged with paint and, in necessary cases, used the wet wipes she had stored in her desk to clean their faces and hands. When the bell rang, the school bags were ready, the paintings were hung up to dry and everything was tidied up. They were on time, which was rare enough to mention.

Of course, when meeting the parents, some were ecstatic to see their kids running up to them with big grins on their faces. They were eager to hear about that awesome painting session and all the other things they did in class that day, ready to be amazed by their kids but not thinking one second about how their teacher must have racked her brains out to find playful ways to learn for hours or days or even weeks prior to the day. They rarely did, anyway. A grandma, occasionally, would come up to Sienna to tell her that she would always pick her grandchild up happy and that she was really thankful for it. That day, she came up to her to say that she must have had a hard time containing all of her pupils on this arts lesson and Sienna just said that it went better than expected.

“I don’t know how you do it! Just one is enough for me,” she would hear constantly.

Some days, she didn’t know herself, but this was what she had chosen and what she had worked for. She loved her job, loved her class, so the exhaustion would be quickly replaced by the will to find new ideas.

Some parents, however, weren’t keeping for themselves their anger at the fact that their kid had paint stains on their clothes. Sienna was patient with those, even though all she wanted to do was sass them back, so she gently explained, several times on a row, that accidents like these were bound to happen in a classroom but that the paint was washable with hot water and some laundry detergent. You only had to scrub a little, nothing bad. Those parents were what usually made her anxiety skyrocket as high as it could. She always felt like a kid herself when she’d be talked to in a condescending tone and she always wanted to apologise, even though she knew better than to. She was a professional in her own way, there was nothing to apologise for. If those parents didn’t want their kids’ precious clothes to be damaged, they simply shouldn’t send them to school with them.

Sienna had a couple of kids left to hand back to their parents when the big clock on the wall of the school showed 4 o’clock. There was this little girl that was always the gentlest kid of the class, who was sitting quietly on the stairs, eating her biscuits and patiently waiting. Next to her, there was Patrick, who was such a lovely little boy, curious and nice to the others. And there was this little boy, too, who Sienna would have gladly exchanged for several Patricks instead. He was rowdy, loud, never behaved and would run her patience thin several days a week. At that moment, he was skipping the steps, jumping two of them at a time, even though Sienna had told him several times that it was dangerous and he shouldn’t do it. He did anyway..

The little girl was the first to leave, waving Sienna bye as she left with her dad. The rowdy kid was next, barely bidding goodbye to his teacher. And then, there was Patrick. Smiling at the ginger kid, Sienna took place next to him, crossing her hands on her knees and waiting for him to be picked up.

“Have you liked your day, today?” she enquired.

“Yeah, it was fun”, Patrick smiled.

“What was your favourite part?”

“The painting was awesome”, he grinned. “But maths are really what I enjoy the most.”

There really was no doubt to it. Patrick was more leaned into maths; it came easy to him. Maths was his strong point so to hear him place that day’s maths lesson at the same rank as the painting wasn’t all that surprising.

“Do you know who’s picking you up tonight?”

“My biggest brother, normally. He’s not very good with hours”, Patrick joked.

“I can see that”, Sienna laughed. “Speaking of him.. Look who’s coming up!”

Patrick didn’t last long sat next to his teacher. Before she could say “Good afternoon”, he was up and running, already launching himself in his brother’s arms. Patrick was big for his age, certainly big enough not to try and climb on his brother’s torso but it was endearing to see it happen. At almost eleven years-old, Paddy was past this phase or at least, should have been. But still, his big brother grabbed him under his arms and helped him up, squeezed him against his torso and put him back down.

“Hi, sorry for being so late”, Tom apologised, a little bit out of breath. “I was in a meeting and it lasted longer than I thought it would.”

“No problem, you’re not the last one here and it’s still early in the afternoon”, Sienna smiled.

“Thanks for keeping Paddy company, I promise it won’t happen again.”

“No worries.”

“Alright, Padster, let’s go, I’m late for a phonecall!”

“Bye Miss Porter!”

“Bye Patrick, bye Mister Holland”, Sienna waved.

“Tom’s perfect, Mister Holland’s our dad”, Tom laughed. “Have a nice evening, sorry again!!”

Sienna waved again to Patrick, as the boy turned back to her to wave bye. They weren’t that far when she heard the oldest of the two asked how the day had been. She smiled when she realised that Patrick was really happy to recount all the details of his day to his brother, whom was listening carefully to his ramblings.

Her smile got even bigger when the tallest of two said that he wished he’d had a teacher as cool as his when he was his age.


	3. Chapter 3

Sienna saw Tom a few times at the gate when the time to release the kids had come. He often waited next to his car, leaning against the hood of it, playing with his phone. Most of the time, Patrick would quickly say bye and they would disappear in just a heartbeat. Sometimes, Tom would say hello and bye, but their exchanges would stay at this point. He was just another person picking a kid up, or at least, that’s what Sienna thought. Until Tom disappeared again. Patrick mentioned that his brother was on a trip once, but quickly moved on to another subject because it didn’t seem to be quite extraordinary. During those few days, Sienna saw the rest of the Holland family. Once it had been one of the twins, another time, the two twins came to pick him up and the day before, it had been his mum, who came to shake her hand and ask how she was. Sienna liked when parents took a bit of their time to ask her how she’d been, to acknowledge that there was a human underneath their child’s teacher and that this human had feelings as well. She knew Patrick’s mother from the times she’d volunteer to take the classes’ pictures in late-September, she had been of great help and had allowed the school to save a ton of money, instead of hiring another photographer that would have charged them an awful lot. She even had offered to take portraits of all the kids and their teachers and to this day, it was still one of the best pictures Sienna had of herself, where she didn’t look like she was about to pass out. She had been really gentle with the young teacher and she had allowed her to have some time to compose herself, which was nice compared to all her other experiences where the photographers would take the picture as fast as possible so they could move on to another client. Patrick was always very happy when his mother would pick her up and Sienna enjoyed the fact that she would wait for her to let all the other kids go before she’d ask her any update on her son’s work in class. That day again, Sienna enjoyed the peace of mind she had to let go every one of her students before Mrs. Holland came back to her and shook her hand.

“Sorry to bother you, it’ll be quick, I promise”, she grimaced.

“It’s no bother”, Sienna assured.

“How are you?”

“I’m great, thanks, what about you?”

“We’re good”, the mother smiled. “I was just wondering if there was anything you wanted me to do with Patrick during the afternoons? Something he needs to rework on or a lesson he had trouble understanding… Whenever I’m free, I could try and smooth some things out for him, so you can move on to greener pastures”, she joked.

Parents who were willing to help their kids on their schoolwork were one of Sienna’s biggest soft spots. She was extremely grateful for those parents, who took some of their time to come back on a lesson, re-explain things calmly and in another way, so their kids wouldn’t be left confused in class. It saved her so much time in class and spared her a great lot of extra trouble.

“We’ve started on the active and passive voice in sentences, I think you could use some help with that, right Patrick?” Sienna gently proposed so she wouldn’t hurt the boy’s feelings.

“Yeah, it’s a bit confusing”, he shrugged.

“Okay, great”, Mrs. Holland smiled. “We’ll work on that, then. Do you have any recommendation of exercises I could make him do or a way you explained it that I should stick with?”

“I honestly explained it very plainly, saying that the only thing that was changing was whether the subject was doing or receiving an action. It’s only a matter of presentation of the information. You can refer to the guide I gave all the parents at the beginning of the year, there has a few examples. Other than that, just ask him to switch a sentence in one way or another. Any sentence can work, make it fun and I’m sure Patrick here will gladly oblige”, Sienna smiled.

“Those guides are so helpful, thank you again for those!”

“I know the parents have moved on to more practical things and sometimes it could be a bit tricky to explain something that is far away in our memories. I’m glad it’s useful to you, I’m not sure it is for all the other parents, to be honest”, Sienna grimaced.

“Well, don’t change your ways for some conservative people. You’re doing a great job, Patrick made progress in grammar and English thanks to you, you’re really helping him a great lot.”

“Thanks Mrs. Holland”, the teacher blushed a little.

“I’ll leave you be for tonight, I’m sure you’re impatient to rest”, Mrs. Holland grinned. “His brother will pick him up tomorrow, just for information.”

“Which one?” Sienna joked.

“My oldest!”

“Noted.”

Indeed, the day after, Patrick found his oldest brother on the phone, right in front of the school’s gate. Sienna smiled, seeing him back. He was the only young person she’d see in her day that wasn’t young enough to still be someone’s student and she enjoyed the fact that he cared about his little brother enough to pick him up. He quickly pointed him to his teacher, said bye and hastily made his way to the young man who indicated his phone with his index finger. Patrick nodded, wrapped an arm around his torso for a quick hug (that was returned with a silent kiss on top of his head) and off they went to go back to the guy’s car. But before they disappeared, Tom turned back to the teacher and sent her a quick wave to say hello. He silently mouthed a “Sorry”, gesturing to his phone and smiled behind the black frames of his Aviator sunglasses.

Sienna returned the hand gesture, happy to see that the young man was back to her daily routine and that he was willing to exchange a little. She just hoped that one day, he’d come to her to discuss for real.


	4. Chapter 4

Tom had come to Sienna a few days after his weird phone call moment. He was wearing a brown leather jacket with a black top underneath and his hair was a complete mess. Still, Sienna couldn’t deny the fact that she found him attractive, in total objectiveness of course. She didn’t know the guy, he was her pupil’s brother and having the hots for one of her kids’ relatives would be passably weird, right?

As a couple of times before, Tom waited for the majority of the families to walk out of the main gate area before he’d make his way to the young teacher. He was wincing a little, Sienna noticed a little limp in his usual assured walk and she wondered what the heck happened to him. She got the answer when he rapidly denied Patrick’s embrace, apologising and explaining that his work out session had been brutal. Patrick’s laugh echoed in the now almost empty playground and Tom mocked him a little, assuring him that he wouldn’t laugh the day he’d be really sore after benching so much weight that he couldn’t feel his arms anymore.

Sienna realised that Tom’s hair was a mess because he just came from the gym and sure enough, it was still a bit wet and going extremely curly.

“Good evening, Miss”, Tom smiled.

“Good evening”, she smiled back. “Here’s Patrick”, she dumbly pointed to his brother, grabbing the small boy’s shoulders to then push him lightly to the taller guy.

She’d come to hate her reaction that day.

“I can see that”, Tom slightly frowned, amused. “Everything alright with him today?”

“Perfect. No broken bone, no bad grade, everything great!” she answered.

Seriously, Sienna, stop talking.

Tom laughed a little again, quickly catching up on the fact that the young teacher was a bit flustered in his presence.

“Sorry again for the other day, I was on the phone for a potential job’s interview and I couldn’t hang up.”

“I understand”, she nodded. “I hope it went great.”

“I’m still waiting for the answer but I’m crossing my fingers”, Tom grinned.

“Crossing my fingers for you as well, then”, Sienna demonstrated.

“Hey, I was wondering how Patrick is doing in English. Our mum mentioned that he’s having a bit of trouble?”

“It just takes more time than maths for him, but we’ll get there”, she explained warmly.

“Is there anything really simple that I could do? I’m not the best either but if I can help a little…”

“Just refer to the guide I gave your parents in September, everything’s in it. Stick with the basics section and it’ll be plenty already!”

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do in my spare time”, he promised. “I wasn’t that bright with English back in the day, I’ve improved a lot but it still stirs bad memories from me.”

“I really hope I’m not doing that for you, Patrick”, she worried suddenly.

“No, I’m okay. I just don’t like the subject a lot but you make it fun sometimes!”

“That’s better than I would’ve ever said when I was your age, Pad”, Tom grinned. “You’re lucky to have a teacher that tries so hard to make it fun for you!”

“I do my best”, Sienna blushed.

“Well, it’s a very good best, then”, Tom assured. “I wish I’d had fun teachers as well.”

“It’s another way to teach. That doesn’t mean I’m not like your typical teacher at some point in the day, but I do what I can to make the days shorter, for everyone involved.”

“Jesus… I remember sitting at my desk wishing the clock could just hurry up a little…”

“I remember that too”, Sienna recalled. “It’s important for me that the kids don’t feel like that in my class.”

“Keep on that way, then! We gotta go, Padz, Dad’s waiting for us back home. It was nice chatting with you, Miss Porter.”

“Pleasure’s mine, Mr. Holland!”

“Tom, please. Just Tom”, he repeated.

“I’ll get it next time”, she promised.

As soon as Tom and Patrick disappeared from the street, Sienna facepalmed so hard it stung a little. She had been the worst case of weirdo in front of Tom and the fact that he played it cool was really a relief. “No broken bone”? What even went through her head? It truly was a mystery at this point. Silently, she made her way to her classroom to pick up her stuff. After this awkward end of day, she was ready to go back home and disappear for the rest of the day.


	5. Chapter 5

The awkwardness didn’t last long. After a couple of times, Sienna kind of forgot that it even happened as Tom completely moved on from it. They’d see each other at the school’s gate a couple of times a week and they’d chat for a few minutes, enjoying their discussions about their past in school and how the education had changed. She did ask if he had gotten the job, to which he said he had no news of yet and she was quick to say that it was such a shame how long it could take to get an answer, sometimes. Tom had nodded, not adding anything else to the matter. It was a nice way to wrap up the day when she’d see him waiting next to his car, knowing he’d come up to talk a little. It was nice to have someone of her age to talk to, she wasn’t going to deny it. She was so absorbed by her job that it’d take weeks for her to finally take time to see a friend. Tom quickly became the friendly face she’d wait for during the days, especially when her class would turn into a rage fest with kids yelling at each other and others who wouldn’t listen at all. She had never been the greatest dealing with anxiety and sometimes, when she’d be a wreck after the day, the idea of seeing Tom would only make it worse. What he would think of her was usually what she dreaded the most, especially when she knew that her makeup was smudged, that her skin was shining, that her liner had been smeared around her eyes when she’d rub them or that her jeans were stained with whatever the kids were deeming fun to play with. She’d look like a mess and he’d look as stunning as ever. Life wasn’t fair, really.

That day, the mere idea of giving back the test cheats to her class sent Sienna into panic mode. The majority of the class had done quite well but there was always the thought of giving back a catastrophic grade to Patrick that made her heart aches so bad. She had started grading him differently than the others, marking him upon his efforts and progress than just the results. This had helped raising his mean average a little bit but it didn’t make him a sudden genius. This was getting on her nerves and she knew she couldn’t really do more than she already was doing but it still made her feel like a bad teacher. It was obvious that Patrick just wasn't good at English despite all of his hard efforts. Sienna imagined his disappointed face and her heart broke a little more.

The day went by smoothly, for once. Nothing out of the ordinary: there was the bunch of kids that always turned the classroom into a giant mess, the ones that always wanted to please her and the ones that needed some more explanations before they could work. They learned some French words, started working on percentages, did some PE and eventually, at the end of the day, they got their test cheats back.

Patrick was devastated. And it was a little bit of a euphemism. He held back his tears as everybody eventually left the classroom but Sienna could see he didn't want to leave just yet and needed a couple of seconds to compose himself. He was so brave, poor little kid... Grabbing one of her colleagues in the hall, she asked her to keep an eye on the ginger boy before she ran to catch up with her class. She let every pupil go after checking who was here to pick them up and it left her with Patrick's brothers, who all had come to pick him up. The three of them, with a fourth dude who looked nothing like a Holland but still blended nicely with them, arrived in front of the young teacher with question marks all over their eyes.

“Good afternoon Miss”, one of them smiled.

“Good afternoon Harry, everyone, how are you?”

“We're fine, what about you?”

“It's been an okay day today. I guess you're wondering where your little brother is.”

“Totally”, Sam answered.

“He's still in the classroom. He didn’t... He didn't quite get the grade he was hoping for on his English test”, she grimaced.

“Shit”, the blonde dude cursed. “Sorry”, he blushed. “I tried to explain him the whole thing, I thought he'd do great...”

“It happens, some kids just don't get their heads into English or Maths... The good point is that he knows that he's not the best and tries his hardest. And your parents keep up with the whole thing, which is good. Maybe he'll end up getting it but as of right now, he's just not into it.”

“Is it really bad?” the oldest brother timidly asked.

“I mean... I asked my colleague to keep an eye on him but he was on the verge of tears”, she grimaced.

“Shit. Sorry, again”, the blonde one blushed even harder.

Tom was the first one to react. He pointed to the hall and silently asked if he could go in there. Sienna nodded, throwing her head on the side, meaning that he could follow her. It was heart-warming to see the four older boys so worried about the youngest one and as they all kind of marched into the hall, she could feel that the most worried was the oldest. The fact that she hadn't seen him for a couple of days made her think that eventually, he had just come back from whatever he was doing. The Holland family wasn't really the usual type, Patrick's dad was a famous stand-up comedian and his mom was a phenomenal photographer. She hadn't really checked yet to see if the Internet knew about the oldest brother but the fact that he was here, walking quietly but as fast as he could, to get his little brother back, showed how much he loved him. Even a blind person could sense the love between those two. That blond dude too, now that she thought of it.

The classroom was a mess when the boys entered it. Ashamed by the general state, Sienna tried to act like it wasn’t a big deal, when really, there were stuff scattered everywhere and books barely balancing on desks. The chairs weren’t even all pushed back all the ways against the tables and there was a giant pile of mess on her own desk. Sienna grimaced when they pushed the door of her classroom, the yellow wall greeting them in a brutal way. She hated that wall so much, now that she thought of it.

“Hey buddy”, Tom finally whispered before he knelt in front of the boy's desk. “Your teacher told me what happened, wanna talk about it a little?”

Patrick shook his head from side to side, his forehead stuck on the wood while his arms were balancing in the air on each side of his torso.

“It's okay, Bud', we can just go home”, Sam added.

Patrick shook his head again.

“Listen Paddy, it's okay, nobody blames you. You're gonna figure this out one day, this is just not your time”, Harry tried to explain.

“Yep and I can still tutor you as much as possible”, the blond dude added.

“You said I was ready, Harrison”, Patrick groaned.

“I know, because I genuinely thought you were. Maybe you just panicked a little in front of the test sheet and it's okay too.”

“I don't panic!” Patrick half-yelled, finally raising his head from his desk, showing two bright red streaks on each of his cheeks.

“Listen here, Patrick”, Sienna finally intervened. “It's okay if you didn't get the grade you were hoping for, it happens. It happened to me too, to be honest. But if all of you have a couple of spare minutes, we could try something. I mean... If you want to.”

The little boy's eyebrows furrowed without him even controlling it. Sienna half-jogged to her desk to grab the lessons she had asked her pupils to learn for the test and grabbed a blank sheet of paper. Taking some pens while she was at it, she went back to the boys and sat on a chair, in front of the little boy. The older ones all took a seat, watching carefully what would happen next.

“I suppose you're the one who helped Patrick work on his lessons”, Sienna guessed, taking a glance on the blond dude. “Can you write a sentence on this, please, and pass it on to the others? All of you, write a sentence, any form of sentence you can think of, and we'll work from there.”

To say that they all took it very seriously was enough to warm Sienna's heart back. Little Patrick had composed himself back and was now studying his brothers and their friend, trying to understand what would happen from now on. As soon as the sentences were written, Sienna took a look on them and smiled brightly. They all went along with it and provided a splendid base to work from.

“Okay friend, here's what we're gonna do. I want you to write what kind of sentence each one of those is and when you're done, I want you to colour in red the verbs, in blue the subjects and in green the adjectives. Think you can do that?”

Patrick nodded, taking his pencil carefully. As he worked in silence, Sienna raised her eyes from the paper to take a look on all the other people in her classroom. She was so used of being surrounded by little monsters that she felt quite uneased in that moment, being the only woman in the room while all the other dudes were taller than her, Patrick excluded of course. None of them noticed her watching them, because they were all glancing at Patrick like he was about to burst into flames. Their stress for their little brother was seriously cute and if she hadn't been the one supposed to be in charge here, she would have swooned over them all. Even the twins, whom she knew were younger than her. She had no idea yet about the two others, though she had to reckon the oldest brother seemed to be about the same age than her.

Fifteen minutes passed before Patrick turned his paper back for Sienna to be able to read it. The whole thing wasn't perfect, he had made a couple of mistakes, but it was definitely better than what he had turned back the day before. When he had gotten a C- on his test sheet, the one he passed that afternoon, surrounded by his brothers, got him a B+, which definitely was a big upgrade.

“Well, Patrick, I think you just updated your record”, Sienna smiled, as she marked the paper with her red pen and turned it back to the little boy.

“Dude, B+!” Harrison exclaimed. “I knew you were ready, see?!”

“Congrats buddy!” Sam congratulated.

“I think that deserves an ice cream”, Tom laughed.

Patrick's smile was back to his lips and that's all that mattered. Seeing him so happy was heart-warming and made her think about why she had chosen to become a teacher, once again. It was for those tiny moments, when a kid finally understood something, when they celebrated their little victories, when they felt proud of themselves... those were the moments she loved and cherished more than anything else.

“Thank you, Miss, for your time”, Tom finally said. “I promise we won't bother you after class time anymore, right guys?!”

“It's okay”, Sienna laughed. “It was my pleasure. Now, Patrick, I hope you won't stress over tests anymore, okay?”

“Can we invite Miss Porter to the ice cream truck too?” Patrick smiled, tugging at his brother's side.

“Oh Patrick, it's very nice of you but I'm super busy”, Sienna smiled. “I have a lot of things to do before I'll be able to leave the school. It starts with tidying the mess you little monkeys made in the room”, she sighed, looking at the general state of her classroom.

“Well, another time then”, Tom smiled. “But we're still gonna help you tidy up the place, right fellas?” he laughed.

Having five sets of extra hands to tidy the room proved itself to be a great help. While the two oldest ones were adjusting the desks and putting the chairs back in place, the twins grabbed all the papers that were on the floor, putting the ones that seemed important on the teacher's desk and throwing the rest in the bin. Patrick put every book back in their shelves and Sienna collected every exercise book she had to correct. In ten minutes, the classroom looked like a classroom again and not like a giant war zone anymore.

When she erased the blackboard and struggled to hit the top part, Tom offered his help, presenting his open hand to grab the board eraser.

Sienna had to gulp when he lifted his right arm, making a small part of his lower abdomen visible. She remembered the time he was limping a little after his gym workout session and thanked the universe for it. The guy was definitely fit.

“Is that all we can do?” Harrison smiled.

“I believe, yes”, she blushed. “Thanks again for your help, it would have taken me forever.”

“No problem”, Tom smiled. “Let's call a rain check on that ice cream, we'll take you out another time, deal?”

“I'm usually not really allowed to... you know... go out with my pupils' families”, she tried to explain.

“Come on... What wrong can ice cream do?” Tom laughed.

And with that smile of his, she had to say, nothing felt wrong with grabbing an ice cream with them.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a while since Sienna saw a friend and she was happy her best friend Liv reached out to propose a girls-night on that Friday afternoon. They met in a restaurant near a place that served the best pasta dishes ever and they sat for a very much-needed talk. Liv knew not to press too much on Sienna’s private life, or more exactly, lack of. As desperate as she was for her friend to finally date someone, she knew that Sienna wasn’t comfortable just yet with that idea or that the fact that she worked so much on her class usually prevented her to find time to hang out outside of her flat. Plus, with her family being away from her and the fact that she didn’t have many friends in general, she could understand how she didn’t want to go out that much. Being on her own wasn’t really something that Sienna was comfortable doing anywhere else than her little flat.

“Have you met anyone new at work?” Liv gently asked.

“Actually, yes!” Sienna exclaimed. “I’m glad you brought that up, I was meaning to text you about it and I forgot…”

“Tell me all about it!” Liv grinned, putting her fork down to listen to her friend.

“So, I have this pupil called Patrick, his dad is a famous comedian.”

“Do I know him?”

“Maybe. He’s on TV sometimes”, Sienna shrugged.

“Nice. Go ahead!”

“So this kid has three older brothers and the oldest one appeared last month, out of nowhere. He comes to pick him up at least twice a week and at first, he was just saying hi but now he’s coming to chat and it’s really nice, actually…”

“That is amazing! How is he?” Liv inquired.

“He’s about our age, I believe. He’s not so tall, just about a head taller than me”, she blushed.

“Cool!” Liv exclaimed. “Is he nice?”

“Pretty nice, yep. He keeps saying he wishes he had a teacher like me when he was a kid.”

“Someone has the hots for the teacher!” Liv hollered. “That is so cool, Sienna, I’m so happy for you! You deserve some exciting things in your life, it was time for you to shine.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He’s just my pupil’s brother and he’s a nice guy, that’s it. I enjoy talking to him, he’s nice and that’s pretty much all there is to say.”

Liv frowned. There was something in the way Sienna talked about the boy that made her curious for more, like she was hiding something from her. Liv was pretty great at stalking people on social media, so it wasn’t really much of a surprise when Sienna saw her fishing her smartphone from her purse, looking at her with raised eyebrow in a daring way that she now knew by heart.

“What’s your pupil’s name?”

“I’m not giving you my pupil’s name, Liv”, Sienna groaned. “He’s a little kid with no Instagram, there’s no way you’re finding him on Twitter or Facebook either.”

“I won’t but maybe I’ll find an article that also mentions his brother who apparently has a crush on you.”

“He doesn’t have a crush on me. He’s just a nice guy, that’s all!”

“Okay, what’s the comedian’s name, then? The dad?” she demanded before sipping on her glass of wine.

“Fine”, Sienna sighed. “His name’s Dominic Holland.”

Liv choked on her wine. Pretty loudly and pretty heavily as well. Sienna’s eyes bulged out with concern, taking her glass to rest it on the table and asking if she needed any assistance, maybe a tap on the back or anything. Liv quickly shook her hand to signal no and when her breath was finally steady, all she could do was stare at her friend like she had grown a second head.

“You’re telling me you have Dominic Holland’s son in your class?”

“I do”, Sienna frowned. “Wait, what’s going on?”

“Do you have any idea who the oldest son is?”

“He said his name was Tom, I didn’t look further…” Sienna shrugged.

“Oh my God, you talked with Tom Holland and you’re playing it so cool, you’re infuriating, you know that?” Liv suddenly whisper-yelled.

“Okay, you’re losing me here, Liv…”

The black-haired girl didn’t respond to this. Instead, she started typing on her phone, swiping her thumbs up and down before she clicked on something and turned her screen to her friend.

Needless to say, Sienna was speechless.

Here was a younger version of her pupil’s brother on a red carpet alongside Ewan McGregor.

“Holy shit!”

“Holy shit indeed”, Liv confirmed.


	7. Chapter 7




	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is pretty long, to make up for the previous chapter. I hope you'll like it. Please comment what you thought of it, I'm a soft chaotic writer thriving on attention. I wish it was a joke but it's not. I'm like Tinkerbell, when I don't get attention, I die. 😩  
> I hope you're all doing fine.   
> Wear a damn mask when you go out.  
> Love, Xx

Tom would appear more and more at the school’s gates, to Patrick’s biggest joy. He was always happy to see his big brother coming to pick him up and to get into his shiny black Audi car. Even if he had to seat in the back, due to him not being 12 years old yet and missing just a couple of centimetres to be over the limit, he was always ecstatic at the idea of riding a car back home with his brother. Sure, it was a nice change compared to the fact that the twins didn’t have their licences yet and they had to ride the bus, but the two had a routine that was established and running like a charm. Tom would wait for most of the parents to leave, either leaning against the hood of his car or sitting in it if it was really cold that day. When he was sure that he’d be able to go through the crowd without any trouble and to be able to discuss a little with Patrick’s teacher, he’d finally come up and ruffle his brother’s hair. He’d shake Sienna’s hand if he had put his car keys in the pockets of his jacket and then he’d discuss a little.

“So… Have you got any news about your phone interview?” Sienna inquired with a curious smile.

“They’re definitely interested, I have to go meet them in a couple of weeks.”

“Where would this job be based?”

“In Birmingham”, he smiled.

“Oh, that’s nice!”

“In Birmingham, Alabama”, he corrected.

“Oh… Yeah, the commute is longer”, she nervously laughed.

“Definitely. But I’m used to being away from London, I always come back anyway”, he shrugged.

That day, Sienna understood that Tom would never mention himself that he was an actor. He would always tiptoe around the subject, dropping clues and amusing himself about the drastic blur he was casting on his career with her. Maybe it was his way to protect himself or maybe he was just trying to amuse himself and see how long he could last. Either way, Sienna appreciated the fact that he didn’t make a whole show about it and tried to stay as down to Earth as possible. It was nice to discuss with Tom because he never let her feel like he was above her, simply because he had a bigger pay check and a bigger visibility. He dressed like a young man that would roam the streets of London and if Liv hadn’t burst the bubble, the illusion would still work on her. But now, Sienna knew. And she liked to pretend that she didn’t.

*

Patrick was almost late that Monday morning and he came in the class’ line running, out of breath, while Sienna was taking them to the class. She frowned seeing him looking so dishevelled and made a mental note to ask him what happened when they’d have a couple minutes face to face. No need to put him in the spotlight in front of the others, an incident could happen.

Sienna opened the door of the class and let her pupils enter and settle at their desks. Some girls were talking in front of the coatracks, telling themselves the stories of what happened during the weekend and some boys were talking about whatever videogames they were playing now. Something about a fort or whatever, Sienna hadn’t caught the name yet but she was curious and would definitely get the name soon. Patrick was still a little bit breathless but he dropped his schoolbag on his desk and took his stuff out of it, ready to work. He said hi to a couple of friends but, as often, he was the first ready for their day. The others took a couple of minutes more but they all ended up ready, eventually.

“Alright, good morning everyone”, Sienna welcomed. “I hope you’ve all had a nice weekend and that you rested a bit. Let’s not waste too much time this morning, we have loads of things to talk about and to work on. Mary, can you come write today’s date on the board please? I believe it’s also Jack’s turn to talk to us about his favourite book, right? Jack, are you ready?”

“I need to work on my presentation a little bit more. Can I do it this afternoon, please?”

“Sure”, Sienna smiled. “But are you going to have enough time during our breaks?”

“Yes, I promise”, Jack assured.

“Alright. Then Jack will talk about his book this afternoon, right after lunch break”, Sienna explained. “Ellie, you forgot to put our schedule of the day on the board, can you get on that, please?”

Young Ellie blushed and automatically rose up to grab the paper Sienna gave her. According to the information she got out of the paper, she stuck the different subjects they’d work on that day, in order. When the whole class was finally ready, Sienna launched herself in teaching mode: they’d work on their comprehension of texts and then would move on to maths. She had already planned to work with Patrick on that, so it was time to ask what happened that morning and why he was late. Kids were used to her working with a small group in a corner of the room, so they silently took their books, opened them at the right page and let Patrick come to the tables where Sienna would sit at to work specifically with some kids. That morning, she wanted to let everyone prove what they were capable of, which is why she had planned to work with Patrick for ten minutes top and then would let him try on his own. It was important, sometimes, to know where everyone was at.

“Alright Patrick, are you ready? Nothing missing?”

“No, I have everything.”

“Before we start, I wanted to ask what happened this morning. I noticed you were a bit late and it’s not something you’re used to… Is everything alright?”

“Yes, it’s just that my parents are out of town for the week and it’s my brother who’s in charge. He’s not used to the traffic early in the morning and I tried telling him to take a less busy road but he didn’t listen”, Patrick blushed. “I’m sorry, I’ll tell him I was a bit late and hopefully he’ll listen to me next time.”

“You don’t have to apologise for something that isn’t your fault, Patrick”, she smiled. “Do you want me to tell him that you were a bit in a hurry this morning? Maybe he’ll listen more if it comes from me”, Sienna proposed.

“We can try that”, Patrick smiled.

“Alright Patrick, let’s get on this text”, Sienna laughed gently.

For the rest of the day, Sienna tried not to get flustered by the fact that she _had_ to talk to Tom. Usually, Tom was the one starting the conversation and she’d roll with it, enjoying the fact that it was his initiative, but it was something completely different when she had to make the first move herself, even if it concerned something as dumb as punctuality. She just hoped she wouldn’t hurt his feelings or whatever, because she’d be really mad at herself if he took a step back because of it. Patrick was barely late, he still made it in time to catch the line and didn’t miss anything, but she could see how bothered he was that morning and she felt responsible of him, as of every one of her pupils.

When Tom showed up that afternoon, she swallowed her nerves and ran her hands against her black skinny jeans. She felt nervous and she couldn’t understand why, so she relied on Patrick to stay courageous.

“Good afternoon, Miss Porter”, Tom smiled, shaking her hand.

“Good afternoon”, she smiled back, nervously.

“Everything okay with Padz today?”

“He did great in English, I’m very proud of his progress”, she assured. “He was just a tiny bit late this morning”, she grimaced nervously.

“I’m so sorry”, Tom blushed. “I’m the adult of the house this week and let’s say that it’s my first time trying to balance everything out. The twins took a bus but I have to pick them up in an hour and I had trouble waking them up and… Sorry, I’m rambling trying to justify myself.”

“It’s okay”, Sienna laughed, comforted by the fact that he seemed just as nervous as her. “Maybe try another itinerary tomorrow?”

“I’ll definitely study the road tonight”, he joked. “I wasn’t expecting such traffic this morning.”

“You get another try, that’s fine”, she assured.

“Thanks for understanding. I promise I’ll do my best to not let this happen again.”

Sienna nodded and shoot a little side glance to her pupil. Patrick sure did look very smug now that she had to gently lecture his big brother.

“Well, there’s no time to lose Paddy, let’s go pick up the twins”, Tom said, grabbing his schoolbag from his back. “Sorry again, Miss Porter. Won’t happen again!”

“I’m sure it won’t”, Sienna grinned. “See you tomorrow. And be on time!” she joked.

“It’s a date”, Tom winked at her.

Needless to say that Sienna made a giant mess out of her dresser to find the right clothes for this Tuesday.

*

“Listen class, we have a little bit more than five minutes left to clean a bit of this giant mess. I want you all to pick up whatever has been dropped underneath your desks. Sophie and Benjamin, you’re on broom duty this week so please dust as much as possible, including underneath the desks. Lewis, can you tidy the papers so I can take them home tonight please?”

The classroom resembled an anthill that late afternoon. Kids had been kind of hectic all day, a mean countereffect of the storm that was brewing behind that day’s clouds. Sienna had learned that the weather had an effect on the kids’ behaviour: storms made the air thick and electric, charging them up way beyond their battery’s limits, snow usually made them think about anything but school and gloomy days were usually the best days to work, surprisingly. The first days of sun were also a delight, because everyone was happy, but right now, mid-February, wasn’t the greatest weather. It was cold, it was rainy and the kids were all somewhat sick.

“Can I do anything to help?”

Sienna jumped a little. Turning her head to her pupil, she discovered Patrick, offering his help.

“Have you tidied everything underneath your desk?”

“It’s all clear”, he confirmed. “Also, my schoolbag’s ready and I helped Emily wiping the board.”

“You’re nice, Patrick, but I don’t think there’s anything more you can do for me. I only have to put the papers in my binders and then in my bag. Can you help out the others? I can see that Joshua forgot a lot of paper scraps under his desk…”

“Sure”, Patrick smiled.

There was something about this kid that made Sienna’s heart glow a little bit more. There was no denying that she loved her work and she loved her class, no matter how hectic some days could get, but her kids this year were generally lovely and she was glad she was able to explore as much as she could with them.

When the bell rang, the class looked less like a massive warzone and more like a manageable mess. The kids put their chairs back to their desks, they grabbed their coats and soon enough, they were waiting for their teacher in the hall. As the room got empty, Sienna sighed, knowing she was about to meet Tom again. She was wearing a nice outfit that she spent almost two hours choosing last night: a pair of black skinny jeans and a nice beige jumper, that was big enough to keep her warm but short enough that she could French tuck it in her jeans and she looked almost nice. She put on her coat and grabbed her beanie and then made her way to the hall to lead her class to the school’s gates. Sure enough, Tom’s Audi was parked right in the front of the gates, with him waiting in it that the crowd dispersed itself. Sienna made sure that all of her kids were handed back to their parents and soon, she found herself alone with Patrick again, Tom walking towards them.

“Good afternoon, Tom”, she smiled.

“I’m glad you’re finally calling me ‘Tom’ and not ‘Mr. Holland’ anymore”, Tom smiled. “Good afternoon, Miss Porter. See? I wasn’t late today!”

“I see that”, Sienna laughed.

“I’m late to pick up the twins, though”, he grimaced. “Paddy, we need to go”, he declared, once again grabbing his bag from his back.

“Good luck with the traffic, then. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Miss Porter.”

Tom waved as he turned back to walk Patrick to his car but before he passed through the gates, he turned back to Sienna and let Patrick walk ahead of him.

“Oh, by the way, it’s nice how your beanie and your nails are the same colour”, Tom observed. “Details go a long way, right?”

Tom offered a shy smile and waved again, disappearing in the corner of the street.

Sienna took care of redoing her nail polish that very evening.

*

On that Wednesday morning, Sienna found Patrick sitting in front of the classroom’s door, way earlier than expected. In fact, he was almost an hour early.

“Hello Patrick”, Sienna smiled. “You’re very early today!”

“Tom messed up the hours again”, he shrugged. “He had to drop the twins at 8 o’clock and me at eight and a half but we left the house too early and he had a meeting in town so he couldn’t wait with me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that”, Sienna grimaced. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m used to Tom messing up the hours”, he smiled. “He’s never been really good at it.”

“Okay”, Sienna laughed. “Well, why don’t you come on in and you can help me prepare the classroom? It’d sure be better than staying here in the cold hall.”

Patrick grinned, obviously knowing this would happen. Sienna shook her head, bemused. Since the beginning of the school year, she had tried very hard to let her pupils feel like they could come to her for whatever. Sometimes, they just needed to talk, sometimes, they preferred to spend their breaks in her classroom reading a book while she’d correct exercises. They all were welcomed in her classroom, whether she was their teacher or just another one of them all and they knew it. Some girls from other years came to her because their hairbands broke on them and they knew she always had a stock of those in a drawer. Some little boys from years way below the one she was teaching came to her to ask for toys to use in the playground and she’d gladly lend marbles or car toys that they’d return at the end of the break. Sometimes, they’d come to ask for a jumping rope, for a chalk to draw on the concrete, for an advice or just to come and joke around with her. She was really close to the kids but she knew sometimes, she was too close. She’d carry their troubles at home and she’d worry about those kids way too much, but that was something she’d always been proud of, even though her colleagues usually frowned at her for it.

Patrick let his schoolbag drop on his desk and let her settle for a couple of minutes before he came to her, asking what he could do. Sienna took some of her preparations from her bag and let him know that he could prepare the grammar games she had made up from scratch and that they’d use during the morning. He took on himself to turn on the two computers of the class and when the one linked to the interactive board was finally ready, he opened the file they’d need at the beginning of each day to track where they were in the year. Patrick turned in the classroom, checking to see if everything was in order. He readjusted a couple of books in their bookshelf, taped a document on the wall that was falling on the side and made sure that the lights were all turned on. He verified that the heater was working and pushed the temperature up to a couple of degrees, making sure all the girls wouldn’t complain that they were cold -his teacher included. When he was sure that everything was set up, he came back to Sienna, asking if there was anything else he could do. In fact, there was. Sienna took him to the teachers’ room where they made copies of a document they were going to work with during the afternoon. They made neat piles of everything and Sienna showed him how to use the paper cutter that looked like a guillotine, so he could cut the papers in half. Patrick helped her bring everything back in the classroom and then, he crashed in front of a computer to play to a game she had downloaded, revising his multiplication tables.

Patrick was a nice kid; Sienna knew that already. But spending almost an hour with him made her realise just how well-mannered he was and how sweet he could be. She felt like it was just a big honour to teach to him.

*

When Tom showed up that evening, he was already nervous as it is. He kept fiddling with his fingers and he was almost transparent, seeing how pale he was. Sienna frowned seeing him arriving, fearing he might be sick.

“Good afternoon, Tom”, she greeted. “Is everything okay? You look a bit pale…”

“I’m okay. Listen, I wanted to apologise for this morning, I messed the hours up again and-“

Sienna started to laugh, seeing him gulp down on his nerves. He looked quite cute, to be honest, dancing on his feet and scratching his index finger between his thumb and middle finder and Sienna couldn’t help but see him as a kid, barely older than her pupils.

“Tom, it’s okay”, she assured. “Patrick came to our classroom and he’s been of great help.”

“She showed me how to use a paper guillotine”, Patrick grinned.

“Oh wow!” Tom exclaimed. “If it’s cool with you, I’m relieved. I really didn’t want to make you look after him for like an hour, it’s not your job and if I hadn’t had that meeting this morning, I would have been able to wait with him, but it was important and I couldn’t mess this up.”

“I promise you, we handled it quite great, right Patrick?”

The young ginger boy nodded his head, smiling.

“It was nice to have an assistant this morning. I had a lot of things to do so having had a hand on it was just what I needed. No harm done here, Tom”, she smiled again.

“I’ll do my best for tomorrow, I promise!”

“Don’t worry about it, it was fine for me.”

“Okay”, he breathed out. “You’re literally the nicest teacher I’ve ever encountered.”

Sienna blushed ridiculously fast and hard. She felt the top of ears burning and her chest constricting a little bit. Tom was here, looking cuter than ever in his big padded denim jacket and here she was, shivering over a compliment.

“You look a bit cold, your lips are turning blue”, Tom observed. “We’ll let you go back to your classroom, I’m sure you wanna go home. See you tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there”, she croaked out.

“I look forward to it, then”, he smiled. “Have a nice evening, Miss Porter.”

“You too, Tom.”

Sometimes, Sienna wished she was more socially able than just blushing at a cute guy’s face. Especially one who happened to look at her lips.

*

That Thursday had been a bore. Not only had the kids been completely out of the loop, but Sienna also had to prepare for a school meeting happening on the very same night. She wouldn’t be home before at least 9 o’clock, knowing her colleagues, and it was honestly asking too much of her that day. She was tired, she was grumpy, all she wanted to do was read in her bed and drink hot tea. But here she was, in a cold (and frankly stinky) classroom, with about thirty kids who all looked at her with foggy eyes and whose brains weren’t fully connected and all she wanted to do was sigh so bad it’d probably create a storm thousands of miles from London.

Needless to say, she didn’t feel at the top of her game when Tom appeared that afternoon, holding his Audi’s keys in his right hand and a Starbucks cup in the other. She would have gladly snatched it from him, if she was sure it wasn’t coffee.

“Good evening Miss Porter”, he smiled.

“Hello Tom”, she answered.

“Everything alright? You seem a bit off today…”

“Sorry, it’s been a long day and it’s not even finished”, she sighed.

“Lots of correction?”

“School meeting”, she informed, gloomily.

“Ouch”, he grimaced.

Sienna nodded, smiling weakly. She was exhausted by her day, by the weather finally catching up on her, by all the work she had done prior in the week and by the fact that she went to bed pretty late the night before, because she was reading that captivating book and she didn’t see the time flying by.

Suddenly feeling very tired, she stifled a yawn behind her hand and mumbled an apology to Tom, who assured it was okay.

“How did Patrick do today?”

“He did okay. The kids were a bit tired as well today, it’s been complicated.”

“Well, at least they must have left the classroom pretty neat?”

“Actually, it stinks and if I could, I’d burn a couple of candles in there.”

“Maybe they’re all sick and that’s why they were tired… And stinky”, Tom joked.

The joke wasn’t even that good but being exhausted, Sienna started to laugh, wiping her eyes from the tears forming from her laughing fit.

“That’s a better sound”, Tom commented, with a shy smile.

Sienna blushed a little, because that’s what she did in front of Tom, anyway. And then, they stared at their feet, for a couple of seconds, because awkward was their way to flirt, apparently.

“I’m really tired, sorry for the loud laugh”, Sienna breathed out. “It’s the nerves.”

“You have a lovely laugh, as far as I’m concerned. I’m glad I got to hear it”, Tom stuttered. “Well… A coffee and you’re good to go?”

“I don’t drink coffee and I don’t have a kettle in my classroom”, Sienna bemoaned.

“Well… I bought this tea at Starbucks like ten minutes ago and I’ve downed it to half of the cup but you can have the rest if you want?” Tom offered.

“I can’t accept it”, Sienna declined. “It’s yours, I’m not a thief.”

“Okay”, Tom shrugged. “I’ve offered”, he smiled. “Come on Padz, let’s go, Harry is waiting for us at home.”

Patrick waved goodbye, as always and they disappeared in the corner of the school’s street. Sienna sighed, ready to go back to her stinky classroom. She had an hour to kill before the meeting, which was unfortunate, but whatever. She crashed in the seat behind her desk, cursing at how uncomfortable it was and observed the piles of works she had to correct. She could do it now and be done with it, so she could go to bed early or she could just ignore it and they’d correct all of their works tomorrow. Opting for the second option, she grabbed her book from her messenger bag and tried to find the best position to sit in so her back wouldn’t hurt later.

She was twenty pages in when a soft knock on the classroom door interrupted her. Muttering a disappointed “Come in”, Sienna sat back straight and pretended that she was working, hiding her book in her drawer.

She wasn’t expecting Patrick, for sure, carrying a small Starbucks paper bag.

“Hello again Miss Porter”, he smiled. “Tom and I thought you could use this for tonight”, he explained, holding the bag to her.

“Oh, Patrick, you’re adorable”, Sienna smiled sweetly. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome”, he grinned in answer.

“Say thank you to your brother as well, okay?”

“I promise”, he nodded.

“Thank you guys so much, it’s really sweet.”

When Patrick left, Sienna dug into the bag and got out a cup of tea and a chocolate twist. She hummed when the sweet scent of the tea and the pastry got to her nostrils and took all of it on her desk, ready to feast on it. She hated the idea that Tom paid her something but he had made it through Patrick and she was so weak for a cute little kid showing up with tea and food… She made a mental note to give Patrick a thank you card for his brother, with a Starbucks gift card as well. But for now, she’d enjoy her Youthberry tea and her chocolate twist.

*

Tom was on time on that final day of his “in charge” week. Sienna had chosen her outfit quite carefully the night before. She was wearing a tight (but thick) grey knitted jumper, black skinny jeans, brown heeled boots and a massive navy coat. She accessorised it all with her beige scarf and grey beanie. She looked great. She had tried her best to persuade herself of it, anyway and Liv had validated her outfit. She was just anxious to know whether Tom would comment on it or not.

When he entered the school’s playground, Patrick was still playing with a friend but Tom came straight to her anyway.

“Hello”, he smiled, holding out his hand to shake hers.

“Good afternoon, Tom”, she answered. “Thank you for the care package yesterday, it was very much needed!”

“You’re very welcome”, Tom laughed it out.

“Patrick has a little something for you as well, in his schoolbag”, she smiled mysteriously.

“Oh no, I wasn’t doing it for anything in return!” Tom assured.

“Just, let me have this one, please. You’ve saved my evening, I owe you at least this little thing.”

Tom blushed and shrugged, playing with a little pebble underneath his foot.

“Patrick is playing with his friend, you can go join him if you want.”

“It’s okay, I can wait for him, I’m managing the hours just fine today”, he proudly announced.

“That’s great!” Sienna beamed up.

There was something a bit unusual in their talk that day. Maybe because it was the first time they were alone since they met. Every time, Patrick was there to look back and forth between the two of them, but now, they felt like maybe they were alone in that playground, like there wasn’t any other parents here or any kid still playing. Sienna even forgot about her headmaster who used to lurk behind her window. But being alone with Tom felt a bit electric, like he was buzzing with some kind of energy and like she was charging a battery she didn’t even know she possessed. Every nerve of hers was humming, every muscle of hers was leaning towards him. Tom was literally attracting her closer to him and that both intrigued and terrified her. She wasn’t used to that; she wasn’t used to being attracted to a man. She usually was attracted to books, to flavours of tea, eventually to some clothes when they weren’t driving her mad but she was never attracted to people. People usually scared her. So, what did Tom have that was so exceptional that it made her want to spend time with him?

“Unless you’re in a hurry…?” Tom suddenly worried.

“Oh no, I have a stack of papers to grade, back in the classroom”, she assured. “What made you think I was in a hurry?”

“You just… You look like you have a meeting or something. I mean, we’re Friday, you could want to go out or something.”

“I assure you, I’m not. I still have a lot of work to do”, Sienna grimaced.

“Well, then, you look very pretty today”, Tom blushed a little.

But before Sienna could react to that, Patrick was there, throwing the whole vibe of the discussion off. Tom cleared his throat, scratching behind his head before he welcomed Patrick in his embrace. Sienna turned into a beet, her face extremely red and her breathing short. Patrick was oblivious to it all, of course, which was a relief to both of them.

Before they knew what got into them, they bid each other goodbye and turned back on their heels, ready to escape before they’d get even more embarrassed.


	9. Chapter 9

The day had been long again and Sienna was on the verge of tears when she gained her classroom back. She had been tired for days and her class had been terrible, with no sign of behaving kids or calm. The week had seemed endless and she had bumped her hips into so many tables that she was sure her skin had turned blue. Whining when she sat down on her desk, she lifted her shirt and examined her hipbones, moaning when her fingers touched the sore bruises left by the kids’ desks.

“Excuse me”, a voice made her jump.

Sienna pushed her shirt back down quickly, her cheeks red with embarrassment. There was no way the person behind her didn’t see her bare back and weird actions.

“Sorry, the door wasn’t closed all the way, I thought it was okay to enter, I should have knocked.”

She was about to snap. There was no way she wouldn’t snap, at this point. Her colleagues hadn’t been the nicest around and the headmaster was a total nightmare, her class was supposedly her safe space in this school but to be quite honest, she wasn’t sure it was anymore, now that her pupils made her look like a complete tool for most of the day. She had just gone through a meeting with all of the school’s staff and her head was about to explode. It was seven in the afternoon on a Friday and here she was, about to gather her stuff to go back home when she knew for a fact that her friend Liv was out in the city, having fun and being young. Turning back to the intruder with a strong desire to behead them, she soothed down a little when she realized it was Tom. And then, the shame grew even bigger.

“I should have closed it properly”, she excused herself. “Good evening, Tom.”

“I’m very sorry to bother you. Paddy forgot a book and he needs it for an exercise due on Monday? I was in the neighbourhood so I thought I’d pass by and try to snatch it if possible.”

“You Holland guys are lucky we had a meeting tonight”, she sighed, bending down to retrieve Patrick’s book from his desk. “Tell your brother that I wouldn’t have beheaded him if he had just explained to me that he forgot his book. I know for a fact that he’s serious, I wouldn’t have punished him over a stupid exercise.”

“Paddy is a bit stressed out about school, he’s always been. He’s very studious that boy!”

Sienna smiled a little, while Tom sat down on his brother’s desk. She hadn’t seen him that week, the twins had picked up Patrick most of the days and once it had been their dad, too. Sienna never really discussed with him but she knew him to be nice and funny (of course). He just wasn’t really into the whole school conversations, like his oldest son could be. It was nice to see Tom again, definitely felt like catching up even though they barely knew anything about each other. Or at least, _he_ barely knew anything about her.

“Sorry for barging in your classroom like that, I really should have knocked”, he apologised.

“It’s okay”, she sighed. “At least it was you and not a dad.”

“I’m sure a dad wouldn’t have complained about it. Neither am I, by the way.”

“I bumped into all of their desks today”, she moaned. “I’m turning into a Smurf”, she lamented.

“A cute Smurfette, at least.”

“You’re too nice, Tom”, she blushed.

“So what are you up to, tonight?”

“Absolutely nothing. I’m gonna grab my book”, she demonstrated by picking up the novel from her desk, “and then I’m gonna sit down on my couch and read all night. I’ve no desire to grad papers tonight.”

“No night out?”

“Absolutely not. I have too much work to do.”

“You deserve a break, I think.”

“Well, my only friend here is on a date tonight. She’s going to the movies, the guy is bringing her to a nice restaurant and I’m pretty sure she’s gonna hit the club after that. And I’ll be eating ice cream and crying over this stupid book”, she ranted.

“Jeez”, he breathed out. “Did you have the worst day ever or something?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“I’m sorry to hear that… Hey, what are you reading?”

“ _A Walk To Remember_ ”, she showed him. “I know, it’s a typical chick lit book but I recently watched the movie and I wanted to read the story.”

“I was gonna say that I was pretty sure a movie was called the same. It’s with Mandy Moore, if I recall.”

“That’s the one, indeed.”

“Yeah, I remember watching it with my mum, she was in tears at the end.”

“You’re such a guy”, Sienna laughed. “How can you not be touched by their story?”

“I never said I wasn’t…”

“Oh, you cried too?”

“I may have shed a tear, yeah.”

“Are you reading anything these days?”

“Yeah, I’ve gotten into a dystopian book. It’s really extremely weird but I’m into it.”

“What is it?”

“It’s called _The Knife of Never Letting Go_ and the plot is basically that in hundreds of years, humanity moves to another planet but there’s a virus there that makes all of men’s thoughts visible to everyone and it also kills all the women. And the main character is a teen who discovers a teen girl in the forest and he unveils tons of secrets that he doesn’t know how to hide because..”

“Well his thoughts are displayed for everyone to see… Nice. I’ll check this one after I’m done with mine”, Sienna smiled.

“It’s really weird, just so you know. I can lend you the book when I’m done with it, if you want.”

“Sure, why not? God knows I could use a free book on my paycheck”, she laughed sourly closing her messenger bag that she had filled during her conversation with Tom.

“Cool, I’ll pass it to you as soon as I’m done with it. I’ll let you go back home too”, he smiled. “Your book awaits.”

Sienna nodded, suddenly relieved to know that the week was over. Walking with her messenger bag on her shoulder and her tote bag on the other always felt like she was a camel strapped with suitcases, ready to cross the desert. Noticing her struggling walk, Tom came to her rescue, gently sliding the strap off her shoulder and putting it on his.

“Thanks”, she blushed.

“No problem. Where are you parked?”

“Right in the street, it’s not that far, don’t worry.”

“I’m okay”, he smiled. “Even though it feels like you’ve put bricks in this thing.”

“That’s partially because of your brother, you know? That’s his work in there.”

“Well, I always thought he was a pain in my ass”, he joked.

Sienna smiled and turned the key in the keyhole of the class’ door. She showed him the way to her car that was parked, as she promised, not that far from the school’s gate. Tom put her leather bag in her trunk and stood next to the car, as she made sure that her phone was plugged in for the drive back to her place.

“Are you gonna have a long drive?”

“Ten minutes if the traffic has mercy on my poor tired soul”, she joked.

“Oh so you don’t live that far away from here, that’s cool!”

“I’m on Ditton Hill, so I guess it’s okay.”

Tom held the car’s door for her to climb inside. When he was sure she was sat correctly, he closed it and let her roll the window down.

“Have a nice evening, Miss Porter. And put ice on those bruises, okay?”

“I will”, she blushed. “Have a nice evening too, Tom”, she smiled.

And with that, Sienna left him on the sidewalk, with a textbook in hand as she drove away.

Needless to say, Tom now knew which way to walk in if he wanted to go visit her in her classroom. It came particularly in handy a handful of days later, when he delivered the book he had just finished reading and sat down with two paper cups: one full of coffee and one full of tea.


	10. Chapter 10

The classroom was a war zone again and the fact that she still had at least an hour and a half to do to finally be on a much-deserved weekend break was enough to make her want to cry a little. All the monsters were now gone and she had to pick up the painted brushes scattered all over the floor, as well as putting names on the paintings that hadn't been branded, because their creators were forgetful. It wouldn't be that bad if she wasn't extremely tired and if she didn't have that sore knee that made her walk funny all day. But she had to clean that giant mess and she had to do it fast enough so she could be home as soon as possible. Sure, nothing was waiting for her back in her little flat, except for maybe a good movie if she'd find one but what she was mostly impatient to find back was her bed and that fluffy blanket she had bought a few weeks back, that made everything better in just a matter of seconds. She wanted to sleep and she wanted to sleep now.

For the past three weeks, her class had been hectic. Ever since Tom found her examining her bruises, actually. The kids were unable to spend an hour without bursting into frenzy mode and she had some trouble containing the whole thing. They wanted to play, not to work and quite frankly, they drove the poor teacher to exhaustion. Most nights, she would crash on her couch and wake up at three in the morning, feeling like crap, her stomach rumbling and her back sore from the bad angling the couch would provide. She'd grab something quick to snack on, undressing herself on the way to the fridge and she'd go straight to bed, without trying to do anything else, except she wouldn't fall back asleep. She was kind of a hermit and she hadn't seen a friendly face in so long that it drove her nuts and kinda low too. Being low meant overthinking a lot and on some of those sleepless nights she'd have, she found herself googling the Holland family name a lot. She had no idea what she was getting into when she finally decided to catch up on this family story, a few weeks ago. She started by typing the father's name, as she had found it back during the day, on Patrick's file. With the name Dom Holland, she tumbled into a page, selling his new book called _Eclipsed_. Tom Holland was also typed into Google, only to meet the warm eyes of the brunet dude she was now acquainted with. Tom Holland wasn't just her pupil's oldest brother; he was an actor that was starting to get really famous. He had started as a child actor on the _Billy Elliott_ show that was on West End, before he got casted in a big movie with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.

She had watched _The Impossible_ that very same night, bawling her eyes out, gagging at the gory stuff and praying really hard for his character to end up fine- which he did.

After that, well... She had found something to do when she couldn't sleep. She had watched all the movies, by now. She had stopped watching one after his character died... It was a dodgy story and she had lost interest as soon as he wasn't in it anymore. The majority of his filmography was tough to watch, with movies that made her want to cry and obviously didn't help her to fall asleep. She could have used some lighthearted comedy but all he did was drama so far. She was quite happy to arrive to _Spider-Man_ by the time she did, because the weight of the previous stories had become quite a burden.

Of course, she didn't know half of the characters so she had started by catching up on everything Marvel and in just two weeks, she was back to the _Captain America_ movie where the friendly guy she had met was starring in.

Needless to say, Tom Holland was a phenomenal actor and even though she wasn't a big fan of the stories, she was a big fan of the skills. Even in _The Impossible_ , he was already a great actor. He just got better and better, until finally, she had nothing to watch and compare anymore.

Tom had barely come back to the school during those weeks she caught up on his work. It was usually the twins who would come to pick Patrick up or that blond guy she had met and knew was tutoring Patrick. By now, she had learned that his name was Harrison and that he was Tom's best friend. All those guys were pretty cool, if she dared say. The few times Tom did appear, he generally ended up in her classroom where they’d spend a handful of minutes talking about anything that would pop up in their minds: once they had a very interesting conversation about whether or not American snacks were better than their British siblings. The debate had been funny and very well argued with opinions and facts but they ended up laughing together more than discussing. It was something Sienna always looked up to do whenever he’d pop up at school but he must have been busy so their usual chats in her class had been rare.

Sighing as she bent to pick up a brush and wipe the paint from the floor, she heard her knee crack and swore under her breath. The pain was intense, much sharper than what she had felt before. If she didn't know it wasn't broken, she certainly would think so. The throbbing in her articulation was more than she could handle and as she tried putting her free hand on her knee, she almost yelled as her fingers barely applied pressure. It was really bad and she was caught in a whirlwind of pain, clouding her brain and her senses, keeping her out from the rest of the world. Crunching her eyes and exhaling sharply, she tried to push the pain away, just long enough to grab her stuff and go home.

Next thing she knew, a hand was close to hers on the desk she had used as support and a voice was urging her to sit down.

When the pain in her knee finally dulled down a little, she lifted her eyes to see Tom, kneeling in front of her, examining her knee like he was some medical pro or something. He kept applying pressure all around her knee cap and trying to fold her leg gently.

“I'm okay, I'm okay”, she breathed out.

“Yeah sure, and I've seen a flying pig on my way here”, Tom retorted. “It's not broken but you should definitely go see a doctor.”

“Thanks, Mister Obvious”, she sassed back.

“I'm only trying to help”, he frowned.

“I know, I'm sorry”, she sighed. “My knee's been acting up all week and today was worse than usual. I didn't mean to snap, I'm just tired”, she explained.

“It's okay”, he sighed. “Let me help”, he offered, as his fingers unknotted hers to take the brush from her hand. “I'll clean this mess for you, just stay put.”

“Thank you”, she finally croaked out. “You really don't have to, but it means a lot that I can get a hand with this.”

“No problem.”

“So why are you here tonight?”

“My parents sent me, to get some news about Patrick's progress”, he explained, kneeling down to pick up some pieces of paper and to wipe some paint from the ground. “They're a bit worried about him.”

“He's doing great”, she smiled. “He's a brilliant kid, he just needs more time to understand English and all its subjects. His maths skills are fantastic, he's ahead of the class, and he's so interested in the all of the rest. He makes teaching easy, compared to his twenty monsters of comrades.”

“That bad?” Tom grimaced.

“That bad”, she confirmed. “Today, one of the boys tried to cut the hair of a little girl while I was trying to explain the class what we were going to do in arts. He was about to snap it off when I yelled to him to stop and that scared a kid on the first row, making him cry and everything...”

“Who knew that primary school was so tough?” he laughed.

“Oh I knew what I was getting myself into…”

“First year of teaching?”

“How do you know?” she frowned.

“Let's say that you look barely over twenty, so I kinda put two and two together.”

“Well, you're the only one so far and let's hope it'll stay that way. Some of the parents would grill me if they knew.”

“Everyone has to start somewhere, at some point. How do they expect you to be a teacher if you're not allowed to be in your first year?”

“They'd rather their kids to have some experienced teacher, I guess?”

“That's dumb. You're young, you're obviously full of energy and you bring some new ideas and new ways to teach. They should be happy you're bringing fresh blood to their kids.”

“You might be one of the rare ones thinking that way”, she smiled.

Tom shrugged, putting away the brushes he had collected. There was a small sink at the corner of the room that he used to clean them all and he put them away in the small red bucket that held them all. He bent to grab all the pieces of paper and used the broom to get the smallest ones, ending up by putting the chairs back in their places. It took him fifteen minutes top, while it would have taken an hour to Sienna, so she was definitely thankful.

“Thank you so much”, she sighed, rubbing her forehead. “It would have taken me forever.”

“C'mon, let's get your stuff ready, you need to rest”, he smiled.

Grabbing her schoolbag and putting it on his shoulder, he grabbed every bag and still managed to wrap his left arm underneath her shoulders, to help her walk.

“How did you come here? Car or bus?”

“With my car”, she grimaced, as her knee was still hurting now that she was walking.

“Maybe not a good idea to drive”, he remarked. “Maybe the bus would be wiser?”

“Not an option.. I have too much stuff to carry over to take the bus. I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess, I can drive home, don't worry.”

“Listen here, I won't let you get behind the wheel, your knee is in bad shape and honestly, if I have to drive you anywhere, it'll be to the ER. You can't walk, your knee snapped when I arrived and you won't be able to drive like this. Let me help”, he offered.

Sienna wasn't too sure about this. She barely knew the guy (except the fact that she knew what he looked like shirtless by now) and she honestly didn't want to bother him more than she already had but she had to admit the fact that her knee was really hurting and that driving in this state was dangerous. She didn’t know if she was a good judge of character or not, all she was sure of was that Tom had always been nice to her, though he could be a total nutcase and try to cut her in half after drugging her.

But those eyes.. And she trusted Patrick, she knew their mother, she was sweet and she was always nice. She also had watched enough interviews of the guy, now, to know that he was a cool guy.

“Okay”, she finally muttered. “Let's take a trip to the ER, I guess.”

The drive to the nearest hospital would have been dead silent if it wasn't for the car radio playing music. Tom was carefully driving his Audi and it smelt pretty new if she trusted her olfactory sense. The seats were comfortable and Tom had put all of her stuff in the boot, so she was pretty much free to put her leg as straight as possible to relieve her knee. When they finally arrived, Tom helped her getting out of the car, still supporting her by her shoulders and they walked straight into the ER section, looking around to find a nurse. Of course, the ER was crowded and after insisting on Tom leaving her here (she could hail a taxi, she really wasn't that bad), he made it clear that he wasn't to leave her alone. So he bought her a hot chocolate, some muffin that he found in the dispenser of the waiting room and sat next to her, scrolling down Instagram on his phone. Meanwhile, he had fished a book from her tote bag and she was now silently trying to forget the pain in her knee.

It was almost nine in the evening when finally, a nurse came to check on Sienna. Tom was still playing on his phone and Sienna was deep into the pages. When the nurse told her to sit on a bed so she could examine her, Tom didn't ask if he could join them: he just did. Thankful that she hadn’t been wearing her very skinny jeans and instead had chosen a larger fit, she let the nurse roll her jeans up to her knee, blessing herself for having shaved her legs a few days ago. The nurse decided to do an IR, just to be sure, and turned out Sienna had a sprained knee. Nothing bad, she just had to walk in crutches for a couple of weeks, wear a splint and be careful. Of course, now that he had been a knight in shining armour all afternoon and evening, Tom insisted on driving Sienna back home but he stopped at McDonald's to grab something to eat before. Sienna's food was being paid for and though she was a bit uncomfortable by it, she couldn't deny that it was really sweet of him (and a paid meal could help her finances). Her box of nuggets sitting on her lap, she nibbled on the chicken pieces while Tom was throwing chip after chip in his mouth while driving. He finally made it to her flat and offered to help her get to her floor. By now, Sienna was too grateful to refuse a simple invitation so she informed him that he was welcome to finish his meal at her place, so he’d still have a hot burger and let him grab all of her stuff and called the elevator while he was struggling with all the bags, whether they were full of textbooks or food.

“I'm so sorry I'm letting you handle everything”, she mumbled. “I would if I could use my arms”, she apologised, waddling with her crutches.

“Hey, no problem”, he smiled while she was pushing on the third-floor button, finally putting every bag on the floor. “I offered my help, it's okay.”

Her flat was rather small and truth be told, Tom wondered how she could live in such a narrow space. Books were stored everywhere: wherever there was free space, a shelf was here to hold books. The kitchen area was open to the living room, only separated by a counter where a small plant was surviving in its pot. Barely surviving but that was another subject. The living room area was pretty much filled with the couch only but it still had enough room for a small coffee table and the TV. Two doors only were seen: one for her bedroom and one for her bathroom or so he supposed.

“Welcome home”, she sighed, crashing on her couch. “Please don't mind the mess, I don't have enough room to store everything so I kinda just let it be now.”

Tom let out a small laugh, coming to sit next to her on the couch, putting the small paper bag from McDonald's on the coffee table. They dug into the food with an awkward silence, only filled with the noise of the TV that Sienna turned on without even wanting to: she just sat on the remote.

“So, this is where you live”, Tom started, awkwardly.

“Yep. This is really small”, she blushed. “I'd love to have something bigger but it's all I can afford so…”

“No, I get it”, he smiled. “It's cosy.”

“That it is”, she giggled.

Tom was thinking about his next sentence when he suddenly was cut with a sneeze. His nose had been itchy and his eyes a little bit dry since he made it into the flat, but not to a critical extend. It just felt a bit uncomfortable. And as the time passed by, it became more and more uncomfortable, to the point he would sneeze every damn minute, making Sienna giggle like a heartless person.

“You don't happen to have any allergy?” she finally asked.

“A few of them, but they're only that bad in full spring, you know? When the flowers start to bloom and all that shit”, he moaned. “The only thing that's possible would be if you had a cat but…”

Sienna was biting her bottom lip, feeling rather guilty by now. Tom's eyes were a bit pink, not completely red, but she could see he was in a bit of pain.

“You have a cat, don't you?” Tom sneezed again.

“He's asleep in my room”, she grimaced. “I'm so sorry, I should have asked, I didn't think he was a problem, he's usually hiding in my bedroom and won't bother anyone. He must have come nap on the couch during the day. Are you gonna be okay?” she worried.

“Can we just open the window for a bit?”

Sienna nodded, wobbling on her weak knee for a bit to open the window and finally get back into her previous seat. Tom took a deep breath as soon as the fresh air came in and he patiently waited for the sneezes to space in time, until they faded to only a couple every five minutes.

“I'm really sorry”, Sienna blushed. “I had no idea.”

“You couldn't know”, Tom smiled. “It's okay, don't worry, it's just sneezes and itchy eyes, I won't die”, he joked.

“Well, I'll keep that in mind next time.”

Tom tried very hard to control the raise of his eyebrows. Sienna obviously didn't mean a lot but her words implied that she was okay with him coming back here one day. It really wasn't much but he would take it. There was something about this girl that he couldn't quite put a finger on and he was really willing to figure her out. Plus, Paddy would always speak highly of his teacher and he wanted to know more about the woman who spent her days with his little brother.

And he also had a bad knight in shining armour syndrome that kinda made him want to be there for her and prevent her to get herself into situations like tonight. Because Tom was that kind of guy.

“So.. Who's the little demon who made me sneeze the whole evening?” Tom joked.

As much as he claimed to hate cats, he couldn't deny it. Little Storm was a seriously darn cute cat. He wasn't that big and loved in the covers of her bed, he seemed even smaller. His fur was grey and white, a dark contrast against her white sheets and his little belly was raising quietly with his breathing.

Tom claimed he hated cats. But he had to admit, he could handle Storm. He'd just take medication to hang out with Sienna in her small flat. He could manage.

He would manage.


	11. Chapter 11

Sienna had had a bad idea. She didn't know at the time, she couldn't, but now that she was right in the middle of it, she knew it wasn't the brightest idea she ever had. With her best friend Liv, she had launched them into what they called "Holland Nights". Every time they felt a little low, they'd watch a movie starring Tom Holland. Needless to say, they weren't feeling very much better after the dramas he did. The only light movie being _Spider-Man Homecoming_ , they soon felt like Holland Nights shouldn't happen as much as they previously thought they should. So they changed the formula of their Holland Nights. Since Sienna had told Liv about the movie star driving her to the ER, the young woman stated that it was her duty now to learn as much as possible about the guy. Holland Nights became "Let's watch every damn interview the dude has ever made" Nights and the more Holland Nights happen, the more Sienna felt like she had a clear view of Tom.

Which made sense, of course.

Until Easter holidays, at least, when Tom came to pick up Patrick from school and the two of them happened to wait until every kid was out so that Sienna would be free.

“Good afternoon Tom”, Sienna smiled, while she let go of her last pupil. “How are you?”

“I'm fine”, he shrugged. “I see you're free of your crutches!”

“Finally, yes!” she laughed as she moved her knee around.

“Paddy told me you got rid of them two days ago”, Tom added. “So, we figured it was due for a small celebration. How about that ice cream we promised you so long ago?”

Sienna didn't have to rack her brains to remember it. At that time, Tom was a stranger, the big brother of her pupil and she couldn't accept the invitation. It wasn't professional and her boss would probably have her head on a stick but now? Tom had driven her around to get her knee checked up and he had paid for her dinner that night. Since then, they had chatted several times in front of the school and he offered to pick her up several times too. Only once did he manage to get her back into his comfy car instead of the crowded bus, though.

“I guess it can't hurt anyone, but you let me pay for it”, Sienna grinned.

“I thought guys were supposed to pay”, Paddy chirmed in.

“Unless the girls are badass teachers”, Tom added. “C'mon pal, we don't live in the eighteenth century anymore, if the girl wants to pay, let her pay. Unless she's broke, then be nice and pay.”

Sienna was seriously impressed. She hadn't been on many dates but every time, she struggled hard to pay for her meal. It had happened only once and it was with Tom, but that night had been complicated, as well as tiring. She didn't even have cash on her so she allowed Tom to pay without saying a word. Usually, she would rant to the guy that she had enough money to take care of herself. She wasn't some damsel in distress, thank you very much. The fact that Tom was okay with it filled her heart with happiness. Finally, a guy who took her for the financially (semi) stable being that she was!

Tom and Paddy followed her to the classroom where everything was still a mess (again). They helped tidy everything up and Tom grabbed her schoolbag that always weighted so much. He had no problem letting her pay for her food but she just came out of a knee problem and he knew how heavy that thing was. No way he would let her carry it.

Sienna had her own car that day so she put everything in the boot of it and grabbed her car keys, letting Tom and Paddy drive away first so she could follow them. They drove a solid twenty minutes, getting as far away from the school as they could and finally stopped on a small street where two parking spots were empty. They all got out of the cars and Tom and Paddy led Sienna to a park where an ice cream stand stood proudly in the shadows of the trees.

Paddy got a cookie dough cone; Tom ordered a chocolate one and Sienna opted for typical strawberry because she loved that fruit way too much. True to his words, Tom let her pay for her own cone and they soon sat in the grass to enjoy a bit of sun. It was rare enough for March, so she enjoyed the warmth and finally relaxed for the first time in weeks.

“It's been so long since we've been able to sit here in the sun”, Tom moaned.

“You're a regular of the park?” Sienna curiously asked.

“We live right in the corner of the street”, Paddy explained, ice cream all around his mouth, up to his nose.

“Maybe you should wipe your face, buddy”, Tom murmured, presenting a paper napkin to his younger brother.

Patrick's ears turned crimson and he grabbed the paper before smashing it into his face to clean up his mess. He then proceeded to eat his cone with great caution, making sure no more ice cream would end up anywhere but in his mouth. He was a little bit embarrassed and tried so hard to make it seem like he was much more grown-up than he was... It was endearing, really. Eventually, though, his child nature came back to him and when he saw one of his young neighbours running towards the monkey bars, he couldn't help but yell at him to wait and run in his direction so he could hang himself upside down and laugh with his friend.

“Thanks for bringing me here”, Sienna smiled, her face turned to the sun so she could get warmed up by its rays.

“It's one of my favourite places”, Tom replied. “We've spent so much time here, it feels like my own backyard!”

“I can see why you like it so much. It's not crowded and it's quiet, just what you need to take a breather when life gets too much.”

“Totally!” he commented. “And it's so nice to be able to walk in here without getting harassed, you know..”

“I was wondering when you'd finally mention your job”, Sienna breathed out.

“I mean.. You're twenty-ish and you know how to use a computer. I'm sure you know my dad, it was bound to happen anyway. You're a teacher too, so you're far from being stupid”, he shrugged, totally unbothered by the fact that he outed himself as a celebrity.

Sienna enjoyed the semi-compliment. She added it to the list of things Tom did or said that clearly showed that he respected her as a person and didn't even try to change anything in her. For once, it was refreshing to be accepted just as she was.

“I did Google you”, Sienna finally admitted, as the conversation was hitting a dead end.

“I hope you didn't find any of that stupid crap about how I'm an asshole”, Tom chuckled back.

“Nah, you're fine. I just found a list of movies and some interviews.”

“Have you watched any?”

The look Sienna gave him was enough to answer his question.

“What did you think of my work?”

“You're a phenomenal actor”, she confirmed. “But I have to admit, you did heavy stuff and it's really getting on my mood sometimes”, she grimaced.

“Aw, I'm sorry”, Tom laughed. “I did do a lot of drama movies. The lightest film I did was _Spider-Man_ , so yeah... I'd love to get into comedy but if I'd started with that, nobody would've taken me seriously.”

“I respect that”, she smiled.

Sitting here, on the grass of the park, watching Patrick play with his neighbour while chatting with Tom, Sienna realised that she had gotten quite attached to the man sitting next to her. Not that much, just enough to realise that, at the end of the year, when she wouldn't be Patrick's teacher anymore, it'd mean that she wouldn't hang out with Tom anymore and she'd miss that.

She'd miss the way the sun hit his face, the way he'd sit with his arms behind him, his torso completely exposed to the warmth and light, the way he'd close his eyes and scrunch his nose to enjoy the warm feeling and the way his abs would be visible underneath his shirt.

She'd go back to being just Patrick's former teacher and that'd be it. No more Tom driving her around (even if it happened only twice), no more hanging out with him in parks (once was enough to get her hooked on it), no more inviting him in her flat (she'd actually like to do that again). Maybe she'd had to deal with Storm but she was sure she could find a way.

“How's your knee doing?” Tom asked.

“It's really better, thanks again for helping me out that night.”

“It really was nothing. I'm glad I was there to help you, it would've been really annoying and dangerous for you, to go back to your place in your car and to not have it checked up on.”

“I know, I know”, she sighed. “The lesson is learnt: when you're in pain, don't wait to go to the doc.”

“I have to bring Paddy back home because he has to be up quite early tomorrow, for a rugby practice. Would you like to go out for a drink, maybe, after I get him home?”

“I'm not sure I'm technically allowed to do so”, Sienna blushed. “I mean… You're my pupil's brother, it's kinda delicate...”

“I'll bring you to a pub far from the school, where nobody would care if I'm here or not.”

“Fine”, she sighed, nodding her head. “But I'm paying for my drink.”

“Works for me if it works for you. But if you want me to invite, just know that I can and I'd like to. I'm just trying to respect your decisions.”

“And I'm very grateful for that”, Sienna grinned. “Give me the address, I'll head back to my flat and meet you there, I'll get rid of my school stuff and change, I'm pretty sure I've glue on my jeans”, she grimaced.

They met back in the street Tom had indicated to Sienna before they parted ways an hour or so before. Sienna was wearing a nice blouse and some fresh, black skinny jeans. Her purse was hanging from the crook of her elbow and she had a nice pinkish lipstick on her lips. If Tom hadn't been focused on those, he probably would have seen the edge of the sidewalk and he wouldn't have almost fallen down, face first on the concrete. Sienna was laughing a bit when they finally met in front of the pub Tom had chosen and they made way inside to finally sit at the bar.

“What will you have?” Tom inquired.

“I'll probably go with something sweet, what can you recommend me?”

“Are you driving?”

“No, I took a bus”, she explained.

“Given your choice of ice cream, I think I'll get you something strawberry-based. I'll take care of it, you'll pay me back afterward?”

“Good for me!”

When Tom came back, he was carrying a bottle of beer and a pink cocktail with a little umbrella and a straw. He looked dashing, there was no denying of it. He was wearing dark skinny jeans and a beige suede jacket, letting Sienna see a bit of a white shirt underneath. His hair wasn't styled whatsoever but they fell in natural waves on each side of his face, framing his head in an adorable way. Sienna thanked him when he put her drink down on the table in front of her and they sat on the high stools, face to face.

“So... I realise I never called you by your first name”, Tom blushed. “Am I allowed to or will you think I'm an ass?”

“It's okay”, Sienna laughed, raising her hand for him to shake. “Nice to meet you Tom, I'm Sienna.”

“It's so much better than ‘Paddy's teacher’ or ‘Miss Porter’”, Tom chuckled.

“I'm sure you'd heard it while at the ER, why didn't you start calling me by my first name like I did?”

“It's gonna sound so dumb”, he blushed again, “but you know, you're a teacher and there's a certain sense of respect to the job. I was kind of intimidated…”

“That's dumb, indeed”, Sienna joked. “But I get it. Just know that I happen to work as a teacher, that doesn't define me as a whole.”

“Noted. I'll make sure to see you as a person before I see you as a job.”

Sienna let out a relieved breath that she hadn't realised she was holding back. It was the first time that somebody told her she'd be herself before she'd be a teacher. And it felt so nice that she couldn't stop the grin from climbing on her lips.

The alcohol in her drink made things easier. It had been decided that Sienna would pay the second round of drinks instead of just paying back Tom. She had come back to the high stools, an hour later, with a fresh bottle of beer and a glass filled with the same cocktail that Tom had chosen her before. He had good tastes, whether it was in drinks or clothes or even work related choices he had to make. His good tastes were a part of why Sienna found him so interesting to hang out with. Nonetheless, those good tastes were questionable when the young teacher brought back the drinks, focused on not spilling anything, only to realise that Tom was watching her walk like a designer would observe a model on a catwalk. Sienna wasn't a model, she wasn't exceptionally beautiful but still, she had known her quite share of men watching her like a prey. Not once did Tom made her feel like she was inferior or some kind of prize he had to bring back home. His stare felt like he appreciated the view but still was able to have the respect needed when it came to hang out with a woman. The fact that he was obviously a bit entranced by the sway of her hips didn't make her feel like he was gonna drool, but more like she had the little something that made her interesting enough to his eyes. Tom was working in the film industry. He had met some of the most beautiful women of the world, but still, it was her he was watching walk towards him and even though it made her feel beautiful and empowered and definitely more than she was, it still made her question his actual sanity. She was a nobody. She had a few pounds to lose, her hair generally stuck in every possible direction, her fashion sense was more into comfort than serving looks, her skin wasn't clear and she had chubby cheeks. Really, she was far from Scarlett Johansson and Elizabeth Olsen.

Tom paid the third round of drinks. Sienna paid the last. Tom could have had a fifth but Sienna kept giggling for nothing and her speech pattern was getting more slurred as the time passed by. It had been three hours since they arrived at the pub and they had talked about their lives more than Sienna ever had. She acknowledged the fact that she was getting drunk. The mere realisation that the edges of her peripheral vision were getting blurry was enough to just know that she was there. Tom held it up together way better than she was but he never said anything, except when she proposed another round (even if it was his turn) and he politely said that maybe they had had enough. In her drunken state, Sienna decided that she definitely liked Tom and his boundaries, his respect and his consideration.

Even though the pub was near his place, he insisted that she shouldn't take the bus alone and instead, rang an Addison Lee that parked in front of the pub ten minutes later. Sienna got in and as Tom was obviously giving the answer to the dodgy guy behind the wheel, he decided that maybe it'd be safer to get in the car with her. Sienna said it was ridiculous. She was "perfectly capable of going home on her own" and Tom responded with a "I don't doubt it" that he hoped was enough to let her understand that he didn't trust the taxi driver.

When finally, the cab made it to Sienna's place, she was fast asleep, her face crushed against Tom's shoulder. She definitely drank enough for the night.

Tom helped her get out of the car, letting the driver know that he could leave them here. The idea of driving back to his place on his own, with the fat and bald driver who smelled like old cigarettes was enough to creep him out.

He'd rather call an Uber after that. Supporting a very wobbly Sienna on her high heels, he quickly noticed that she was shivering. She was only wearing a light jean jacket on top of a white blouse and the alcohol in her blood didn't help to warm her up. Letting go of her waist for a minute, Tom slipped out of his own jacket and carefully placed it on her shoulders, making sure that she was covered enough and that it wouldn't slip off of her. They walked the last couple of steps to her building and she used the small device attached to her keyring to open the door without bothering with the code. Tom helped her into the elevator, pushing the third button himself. He still knew the way to her flat so there was no problem for him to bring her to her door. He helped her unlock the door and as it opened, the feeling of something getting into his feet freaked him out. Then the quiet noise of a meow soothed him out and he lightly chuckled, letting Storm rub himself against his legs.

“Hi Stormy”, Sienna slurred out. “Let's go to bed little pal”, she humphed as she picked him up from the ground. “Are you gonna be okay with your allergies?” she suddenly worried.

“Don't worry about it”, Tom reassured her. “I'm only here to bring you to bed and then I'm leaving you to sleep.”

“You're the damn best dude I ever hung out with”, Sienna sighed. “I wouldn't let any other guy into my place being this drunk, just so you know. You're the only one. I'm maybe in a blur but I can still use my brain”, she exclaimed, her eyes wide open as she held Storm above her head.

“Okay, maybe you should let Storm on the ground though”, he laughed as he grabbed the cat to put it down.

The small cat meowed thankfully, letting Tom know that he was his saviour. Tom helped Sienna to her bed, helping her to get out of his jacket, then of her own. He unzipped her boots and slid them off of her ankles, then put the comforter back on her body. Sienna yawned and closed her eyes, her head sinking into her pillow.

“Thanks for bringing me back to my place in one piece.”

“You're welcome. I'll let myself out, are you gonna be able to lock the door after me?”

“It's kinda automatic, it locks itself anyway, don't worry.”

“Okay, so I'll let you sleep then. Good night Sienna”, he smiled, ruffling her hair on the top of her head.

Sienna let out a tired little laugh before she yawned again. Tom was about to close her bedroom door when she called after him, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

“There's a marker on my fridge. Use it to put your phone number on it, if you want”, she invited him to do.

When Tom finally closed the door of her flat, his phone number was written on the top part of her fridge, like she said he could do. Storm had found a place on the end of her bed and Tom had put a glass of water on her bed table. She was sound asleep and her breathing was so calm and quiet, it was an impressive contrast to the beating of his heart.

Tom left with a grin on his face and a very clear want of spending more nights out with Sienna, if she'd let him take her out again.


	12. Chapter 12

When Tom reappeared a few days later, Sienna had had trouble to stop her grin. She let her kids go as always and tried not to seem impatient to cut the conversation short when a mum decided to ask if her daughter wasn’t bullied at school. Sienna almost laughed. If someone was bullied in her class, it was probably the rest of her classmates, and by the girl who now played victim. Sienna assured that everything was fine and that she should talk with her daughter to explain how a bad behaviour can imply bad treatment in return. Of course, the mum left the school feeling highly attacked and Sienna rubbed her sore forehead before Tom finally made way to her. She was feeling so nice seeing him arrive and now she felt sour… Life was unfair like that, sometimes.

“Hi”, Tom started. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, just someone who doesn’t want to hear the truth”, Sienna replied. “How are you?”

“I’m doing alright”, Tom smiled. “I heard Paddy did great on his English exam this week!”

“He did”, Sienna grinned. “I’m really proud of his efforts, he’s hanging in there.”

“We work hard at home, so I’m glad it pays off.”

“That’s a good strategy”, Sienna nodded.

“So.. What are you doing tonight?”

“Grading papers. Hopefully read a book before I pass out from exhaustion.”

“How long will it take you to grade your papers?”

“Maybe an hour, I guess? Why?”

“Well, I found something that I’d really like to show you but that’s if you’re free”, Tom declared, his voice low enough so that only both of them could hear.

“I might be around five o’clock. Would that be alright?” she answered; her tone equally discreet.

“That’s perfect. Text me when you’re done with everything, I’ll come pick you up!”

“Deal”, she smiled. “See you later, then?”

“See you later, Mrs. Porter.”

True to his word, Tom was knocking on her door barely twenty minutes after she texted him. Knowing perfectly that the traffic could be a pain at this hour, Sienna guessed that he stayed close by, waiting for her call. It was pretty sweet that he wanted to hang out with her but she’d have to set the rules first. No drinking when she had class the day after. She couldn’t afford to be hangover in front of her pupils.

“Hey there”, Tom grinned. “Are you ready?”

“What do I need to take with me?”

“Just your handbag, don’t worry. We’re not gonna walk for hours, so you’re good with whatever you wanna wear as shoes.”

“Okay. Give me five minutes to grab my stuff and my coat and we can go. Come in, don’t stay in the hall.”

Tom let himself in the small flat that Sienna owned. It was still very small, very much like he remembered it. The plant was still surviving in the kitchen area and Storm was napping on her couch. Smiling at the sleepy cat, Tom remembered that he took a pill just before leaving his place. He tiptoed to the couch and let his fingertips stroke the grey fur of the cat, enjoying its softness and warmth. Storm moved a little, stretched his back legs and yawned, lifting his head to meet Tom’s hand. Barely three seconds later, Storm was purring, letting Tom enjoy for the first time the vibrations of a purring cat.

This was definitely nice. Tom wasn’t a cat person, he knew that. He knew he was Team Dog all the way, but there was something about Storm that put him at ease and made it infinitely easier to hang around him.

“You look like you have socks, man”, Tom declared.

Storm looked at him with his big green eyes and let out a small meow, lifting his head even higher so Tom could rub underneath his chin. He turned his head on the side, enjoying an ear scratch and purred even more when Tom used both of his hands to rub his ears together.

“I thought you were allergic”, Sienna raised an eyebrow when she found them both enjoying each other’s presence.

“I am. I took a pill”, Tom shrugged. “Storm’s cute.”

“Yeah, I know”, she smiled, amused. “So.. Are we gonna talk about Storm all night or are we going out?”

“Oh yeah, right”, Tom shook his head. “Can I wash my hands before we go?”

“Be my guest”, she pointed to the kitchen sink.

His hands cleaned of any cat hair that could later be a bother, Tom walked Sienna to his car. He didn’t try to open her car door but he enjoyed the conversation about their day while he was driving. The drive hadn’t been long and miraculously, Tom found a parking spot not that far from the place he wanted to bring Sienna to. Then the walk to the place he actually wanted to show her had been quick. Sienna was excited to discover something new and Tom couldn’t stop grinning at the idea of being the one who’d make her explore for once. It was a nice change for the teacher, Sienna appreciated his effort and her eyes bulged out when she realised the greenhouse she could see was actually a teahouse.

The place was gorgeous, with mismatched furniture and old lamps bathing the whole place in a golden hue. It was filled with flowers and smelled like dropped petals and diverse teas. The conversations were soft to not disturb the quietness of the place and because every sound was amplified by the greenhouse. It was lovely and charming and so far from what Sienna could have imagined Tom wanting to show her.

“How did you find this place?”

“I wanted to impress my mum a few weeks ago and I took her here”, he explained. “Now, I’m her favourite son!” he grinned.

“I bet”, Sienna breathed out. “This is gorgeous!”

“I know right? I love it here, it’s so calm and nice.”

Tom ordered two cups of tea and some slices of cakes, letting Sienna choose what she wanted. Since it was his idea, he took care of the cakes, since it was the most expensive of the two and Sienna paid for their teas. They sat underneath the glass windows of the greenhouse, enjoying the view and the quiet of the place. The sun was starting to dim low and the staff was turning the vintage lamps on, one by one. Soon enough, it was almost night out and after seeing the time on his phone, Tom drove Sienna back to her place, halfheartedly. He wished the night could have lasted forever, there, with Sienna surrounded by flowers and gold lights, but he knew that she wasn’t only his to keep and he had to share her with twenty-ish little people.

Including his little brother.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Sorry for the delay, I've had crazy days lately. I updated on my birthday last time and after that, it was a rollercoaster of emotions. On the days I felt like I had time ahead of me to update, I found myself in bed with a bad case of mental lows. I hope this longer chapter will make up for it. I love it a lot, because it combines some of my favourite things: soft boys, the sea and gorgeous, etheral lightning ;)  
> Please tell me what your favourite part of the chapter was, I'd love to see what everyone thought of it!  
> Love,  
> Navy Xx

When the Easter holidays finally arrived, Sienna had been on a roll. She was exhausted and felt like her whole life turned around her job, once again. She needed some time off, badly. So that's why she booked a train to Bournemouth and intended on seeing the sea for a day.

But that was before Tom texted her, asking what she had planned for her holidays. Of course, her sea plans were important but they weren't that important to the point of preventing Tom to come with her. And that's what he did.

They both took the train, Tom hidden under a baseball cap and with a very large hoodie that made him look bigger than he really was. The whole journey to the balneary station had been filled with more discussions about their lives, about themselves, about Sienna's class and pupils or Tom's movies. They shared sandwiches that Sienna had prepared and ate the fruits that Tom's mum had insisted he put in his backpack. Tom was the same age than Sienna, barely younger, only by six months. He should have been able to pack like a grown-up but Tom was still kind of living with his parents but not really and sometimes, it felt like really, he had never learned how to be an adult or at least how to tend for himself. Sienna had been living on her own for two years now and she was so used to it, it didn't even phase her anymore. But Tom? Tom had some work to do.

Sitting next to each other on the train felt like they were going at summer camp. They kept laughing and messing with each other until their ribs hurt and their cheeks felt sore. Then eventually, as it was quite a long journey, Sienna took out a book and Tom took out his phone to satisfy his major nosiness on Instagram. Whenever Sienna would take her eyes off of her pages, she'd see him like a picture of another actor or another model and she'd feel self-conscious about her own image. But still, she remembered the way he looked at her in the pub, the way he followed her hips like they were hypnotic and she'd try to reassure herself that really, she wasn't that bad.

When they finally arrived to Bournemouth, the sun was finally peeking out. It wasn't that hot but it wasn't cold either so Sienna was quite relieved. As it was almost noon, they made their way to a small restaurant and ordered some fish and chips before they decided they'd eat on the beach. Tom frowned, asking if she had any other plan than hanging out on the beach, to which she shrugged and said that she hadn't really thought about anything else.

“No museum or any other informational spot to visit?” he inquired.

“I already told you, my job is to teach, that doesn't mean I'm just a teacher.”

“Right, my bad”, he apologised. “So, we're just gonna be like... sand potatoes?”

“Why not?”

“I'm gonna be freaking awful if you don't make me run somewhere, just so you know.”

“How cute! You're like a hyperactive puppy”, she laughed, as she sat on the sand, her shoes in her hand.

Tom laughed with her. There wasn't much he knew about Bournemouth, except that he went there with his grandparents and brothers once ; they took them to the oceanarium in town and he spent the afternoon fascinated by a giant turtle.

Maybe that's why he said that he'd like to go back to the aquarium and see if the turtle was still there.

Since it was his idea, Tom said he'd pay for her ticket. Sienna accepted, only because on the way there, she had seen an arcade with colourful games and she had every intention to drag him there. Turned out, if there were clichés about them, they got it all wrong.

The aquarium was amazing. Sienna had never been to one, which Tom learned quickly as she had no idea what she was about to discover and she turned a little bit flustered.

“I have a thing about firsts”, she explained. “Every new adventure, everything I discover… it makes me giddy”, she grinned.

“Are we talking about any first here or…?”

“You know Tom, I'm gonna forget you said that. You were doing so good until now and that kind of sentences just make me wanna cringe.”

“Sorry”, he blushed. “It was too tempting to tease you about it, though…”

Sienna had to admit that he was cute when he was blushing. There was something about the way his cheeks would turn pink and the top of his ears would go totally red. He'd start to stutter a little and he'd nervously fidget with his fingers. He basically would turn into a very intimidated and shy five-year-old which was enough for Sienna to completely melt. So, she assured she was teasing him as well (which was partially true anyway) and told him that she really wanted to see the turtle he was talking about.

True to his memories, the giant turtle was still happily swimming in its tank. Every sound was kind of muffled in the oceanarium, which was a delight.

There weren’t that many people in town, the whole building wasn't that crowded and apart from the quiet chat of old people looking at the giant tanks, Tom and Sienna were surrounded by a quiet background noise made of the slight hum of the tank pumps and the ethereal sound of the underwater world. If Sienna would have asked her pupils to find an image for it, they would have probably called it the land of mermaids' background noise. The lights making their way through the water bathed Sienna's face in a blue glow that made her look quite unreal to Tom's eyes. With the waves of light dancing on her skin, reflecting in her eyes, she looked like some magical creature found at the bottom of the ocean (Sienna's pupils would have added that it would've been like Prince Eric when he first saw Ariel). Suddenly, he had no recollection of why he wanted to see the turtle (though he'd say later that he was actually glad to see it alive and well), seing the girl who was standing next to him. But then again, the little voice in his head made him remember that Sienna was an independent being and that him, seeing her only as a very pretty girl, wasn't enough to actually try to make a move. Sure enough, he was attracted to her. There was no denying of it, feeling how his heart was constantly racing in his chest whenever she was involved or how clammy his hands would be at the simple mention of her. But was it enough to actually try and ask for a date? Tom wasn't quite sure.

What he was sure of, though, was that he never saw Sienna coming when she told him she saw an arcade on the way and wanted to check it up. So they made their way to the video games room and sat on two different car seats, ready to race through virtual streets and, for Tom, to suffer of a bad case of burn. Sienna was an incredible gamer when it came to races, not so much for street fighting though, as she'd just push any button in a desperate attempt to do something incredible like Tom's street fighter was doing. But the worst was when Tom dragged her on a dancing game, with that platform and the arrows you were supposed to step on as they appeared on the screens. Tom was a phenomenal dancer and even though Sienna knew about his Billy Elliott past, she had no idea he'd got that kind of swagger when she agreed to play with him. Of course, he was more talented at dancing and was totally looking cooler than her, as he rocked his hips and stepped in rhythm, only to find her awkwardly stomp her left foot while the right was still on the wrong arrow. She was so lost; he almost would have laughed if not for the small crease between her brows that clearly indicated that she wasn't feeling really at ease.

“You alright?”

“This game is way out of my league”, she blushed. “I look like a penguin and look at you, being all Michael Jackson on me…”

“It's okay Sienna, we can go back to the racing game if you want”, he offered.

“Just so you can let me win again?” she scoffed.

“For the record, I didn't let you win. You beat me fair and square. I just sucked at it.”

“Yeah well, I suck at this one”, she dryly laughed, embarrassed by her own moves.

Tom wouldn't let that happen. So, seeing how many points ahead he was of her anyway (and there wasn't any way she would have turned the game back to her really), he jumped from his platform to hers, placing his hands on her hips and gently rocking side to side with her, helping her find a steady rhythm before he took charge of the low arrows and she'd take care of the top ones.

His hands still on her sides, she didn't even try to comprehend what was happening. All she knew was that Tom was dancing really good behind her and it made her look a little bit less awkward. Except for the fact that her skin was now tingling like crazy and feeling very hot. And clammy.

The beach they ended up at was nice and not that crowded. Tom took down the cap, took off his hoodie as it was getting a bit too hot and planted his ass on the sand as Sienna was rolling up the legs of her pants.

“C'mon Tom, we didn't make the whole journey here just to sit in the sand. Let's get wet a little!”

Tom could have added a very bad innuendo here but the first one he had given earlier was enough. He wanted to prove that he was more than an obsessed little prick so he cuffed up his pants as well and followed Sienna to the part of the beach where the sand was wet and the waves would come licking his toes. It really was nothing at the beginning, just the sole of his feet getting wet and the waves coming back and forth to freshen him up but Sienna was still walking, even though her jeans were getting a little wet as well.

“You might want to stop here, unless you have a change”, he smiled.

“I don't, you're right”, she sighed as she made her way back to him, where the waves would let her skin go for a couple of seconds until they'd come back. “I wish I would have brought my swimming suit.”

“Why didn't you? I mean, I got mine in my backpack”, he shrugged. “You said we were going to the beach, so I took everything I needed.”

“I just... I wasn't ready for that”, she muttered, looking at her feet getting swallowed by yet another wave, picking at an imaginary thread on the sleeve of her jumper.

“You weren't ready for what?” he inquired, curious at the sudden change in her mood.

“For a swimming suit. For you to see me in one”, she finally murmured.

Tom let out a sigh. Of course, his job would come back to bite him in the ass at one point. He should have seen this coming, really. Sienna's body wasn't the same as a model's or an actress'. She wasn't just skin and bones. She liked to eat fast food and she wasn't a member of a gym club. She obviously had no idea what a squat or a protein shake really was, and to be honest, Tom absolutely loved that about her. She wasn't wearing a ton of makeup either, if he trusted his basic knowledges, she was only wearing foundation, mascara and a tiny bit of eyeliner. Her skin wasn't perfect (neither was his to be honest) and she had baby hair forming a little crown all around her face. She was far from being a model but still, Tom found her beautiful and it broke his heart a little that she would prevent herself of bathing in the sea just because she didn't think she was fit enough for him. Carefully putting his hands on her shoulders, he brought her back closer to him, just close enough so he could smell the perfume she would spray on her clothes every day.

They weren't even touching but for some reason, his heart started beating like crazy. She tended to have this effect on him. Slowly curling his index finger underneath her chin, he pulled her face up so she could see him. Her brows were furrowed with incomprehension and self-doubt, her bottom lip stuck between her teeth as she was chewing on it, out of apprehension. Tom would have hugged her to try and erase her doubts away but he didn't know if they were there yet. He didn't want to be the guy who hugged the girl who was insecure just to make her feel even more miserable. Obviously, Sienna had a lot of troubles regarding her body and the image she had of it. Tom wished she could see her from his own eyes, not because she'd see herself for who she really was (a young woman with flaws but so many qualities to balance it out), but because she'd know that these flaws had absolutely no impact on his vision of her. He still found her beautiful, no matter what.

“Would you have brought your swimsuit if I hadn't tag along?” he asked.

“Probably, yeah. I try to not care about the others' thoughts about me but I would have tried to find a spot with little to nobody, anyway.”

“What made you change your mind, then?”

“I care about what _you_ think of me”, she timidly answered, wishing he didn't have his finger stuck underneath her chin because she'd find her feet way more reassuring than his gaze that she didn't know how to read yet.

“I think you look pretty, whether you're wearing jeans or a swimsuit”, he promised.

“My thighs beg to differ”, she sighed, finally managing to turn her head to look away.

“Your thighs look like a normal person's thighs. Sure, models on magazines are fucking gorgeous but they're also heavily photoshopped. You wouldn't believe the amount of photoshopping there has been on several pictures that have been released of me. My female co-stars? It's even worse. You're not made of glossy paper, Sienna. You're a real human. And you're living your life at the fullest, which is amazing. Trust me, the skinny girls media rub in your face, they don't even exist. Fuck those, okay?”

Sienna let out a shaky breath. Tom had managed to sway away a lot of issues that had been poisoning her mind for the past few weeks. Even if he didn't clearly said it, he implied that he was attracted to her and that's all she needed for now. Nodding slowly, she felt him let go of her shoulders and started rummaging her toes into the wet sand. She really regretted not having brought a swimming suit, now.

“What if we go back in town, find a shop and find you a swimsuit?” he proposed, sweetly.

Sienna nodded again, letting go of the sand that she was digging into with her foot. Tom chuckled once, obviously very happy with the outcomes of their heartfelt conversation. He gently took her hand in his and dragged her back to their backpacks, lifting his on his shoulders and helping her get hers on her back. Never once did he take his hand away from hers and they made their way to the shops, finding some chain store that she could browse into.

Tom beside her did not comment on her choices, he did not try to push her into trying that beautiful and very tiny red bikini that looked way more appealing than the black and white one pieces that she had found so far. He just stood there, helped her grab the items that were too high for her and kept her hand in his for reassurance and comfort.

The only time he let her go was when she closed the curtain of the fitting room and he went to sit on a footstool.

"Hey, if you want my opinion, you're welcome to ask", he offered.

"You're sweet", she commented. "I think none of them is gonna do it for me, though."

"Do you want me to pick one out for you?"

"At this point, I can't do worse", she tried to laugh. "They all look very boring, actually."

"Okay, I'll try to find something a little bit cooler then. And if you don't like it, I won't be butthurt, just so you know."

"Thanks, Tom", she finally smiled, letting her head peep out of the fitting room.

The choice wasn't that hard to make. Tom knew she wasn't ready for anything revealing and he wouldn't have forced her into a bikini or a low-cut one-piece suit. He respected her boundaries and he respected her struggles.

It wasn't something that should be pushed on, she had to realise on her own terms that she was pretty. And it wasn't just because he found her pretty. It was because it was factual. She was pretty, despite what she thought. Sure, beauty comes with subjectivity. Maybe Tom thought it was a fact when it wasn't for someone else. All he knew was that Sienna had to work on this issue on her own, with all the time she'd need. Maybe another guy would have brought that red bikini he'd seen earlier just to state that she was beautiful enough to wear it. But Tom wasn't that kind of guy and he'd rather let her come to that point on her own rather than embarrass her a little more.

So, he picked that reddish one piece, with flower prints, thin straps, some kind of very short sleeves (Tom wasn't sure how to call them, to be completely honest) and from what he could see, the bottoms weren't high cut. She'd feel comfortable in this one, for sure. He had kind of already seen the size she had taken already for her black and white, boring, swimming suits. He knew not to grab the XS one that was on the front of the rack and liked that for her. What he didn't like was that he had to browse through several rows of XS and S to finally find an M. Shouldn't the average size be pushed in front, instead of behind? He didn't have that problem when he was shopping for himself or with his brothers. Sienna shouldn't have either.

When he came back to present her the swimsuit he had found, he was as nervous as her. He wanted to be good enough, to show her that he understood her troubles and that he accepted them. She just wasn't sure he had got the idea already. But she was surprisingly amazed with his choice, as it covered enough of her and didn't make her look like a nun either. Tom had taken the liberty to throw in with his choice a pair of denim shorts and a black cover up with lace and pompoms at the bottom.

The whole thing looked gorgeous and Sienna could have cried a little when she took a look at herself in the mirror.

Tom had got it. He had understood her and accepted her as she was.

When they made their way out of the fitting rooms area, Tom was pleased to see that she had chosen his items and had thrown a pair of sandals with them. He offered to pay for the difference of price that was between the swimsuits she had previously chosen and the one he had picked, as well as the cover up and the shorts, which she accepted. Those were his choices and she wouldn't have gotten them if he hadn't picked them up. It seemed fair to him. She paid for the rest of the swimsuit and the sandals she had chosen and they made their way back to the fitting room so she could put the swimming suit on underneath her normal clothes. She thanked herself for having shaved her legs pretty carefully while putting back her jeans on. Baby steps, here.

During that time, Tom did the same, wearing only his surfing shorts and putting his jeans in his backpack.

When Tom and Sienna finally made it back to the beach, Tom was still yet to let her hand go. It felt comfortable, for the both of them, to have the tiniest bit of contact. It felt as good as the sun warming up their skins and the sound of the waves crashing down on the shore. It didn't feel like home, more like a nice holiday location. Like some kind of heavenly island with thin sand and very blue water. Like warm and fuzzy happiness.

After Tom let go of his shirt, Sienna stripped of her clothes, her heart in her throat. Tom turned to face the water, walking as close to the waves as he could to let her in peace for a while. When she felt ready to, she joined him and fidgeted with her fingers for a little while. Then she sighed and caught Tom's hand again, because she suddenly felt like a five year-old who needed a grown-up to show her the way.

"Shall we see who swims the best?" Tom laughed.

"You're a dork" she giggled.

"Yeah I know, but I still wanna swim, now that we're here."

"Then go ahead, oh my gosh! You're literally a hyperactive puppy..."

Tom smirked and glanced at her for a second. But before she could sense that he was up to no good, he had catapulted her onto his shoulder and was now walking to a deeper part in the water where he could throw her into the sea without hurting her. Sienna was squealing and begging him not to do it but of course, Tom was a little ass and did it anyway. When Sienna emerged at the surface, she launched herself onto his shoulders, pushing down as hard as she could to sink him, which she managed to do as they didn't touch the ground anymore. They played like that for twenty minutes before Sienna said she wanted to read for a bit and Tom went back to the sand with her, digging a hole in the sand because why not.

When he finally was done digging and he planted his butt next to her, Sienna was deep into the book she had fished from her bag, not even noticing he was standing next to her. She looked so out of everything around her, Tom couldn't help but take a picture.

Later on, as the sun was beginning to dip into the horizon line, he'd take another picture of Sienna, her back facing him as she was watching the sunset, thinking that he could stay here forever, with the sea, the sun and her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter being really just a social media update, it'll be followed immediately with a real chapter ;)  
> Enjoy these ones!   
> (Sorry for the wait!! Xx)


	15. Chapter 15

Sienna was grateful that the trip to Bournemouth had happened on the first day of her spring break. She still had much work to do and she couldn't spend her days with Tom, as much as she would have preferred to. Grading test cheats and planning her days was a pain and she would have rather laughed and done fun things with the actor instead. Still, she was an adult and had to turn him down a couple of times when he offered a coffee break or just a simple get together at a park or something. The fact that he was wanting to see her again relieved Sienna to no end but still scared the shit out of her. She wasn't sure if it meant that he liked her a bit or if he was just happy to have found a friend. But then again, they had held hands, he had bought her some clothes and, on the way back to London, he had let her wear his big sweatshirt because she was freezing. She had drowned into the soft fabric and had discovered that his clothes were impregnated with a strong smell, a mix between perfume, soap and laundry detergent as well as a faint dog smell. She knew how much he loved his blue staffy, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise to be completely honest.

It had been a week since they had last seen each other, standing awkwardly on the platform of the train station. She still was wearing his navy-blue sweatshirt, branded with the name of an American university that she had never heard of. The sleeves were covering almost her entire hands, letting only the tips of her fingers appear and the fabric covered her legs until mid- thighs. Her hair was a giant mess that she had attempted to tame down by knotting into a messy bun but the water, the salt and the wind had knotted every strand of it and left the whole thing looking quite horrendous, if she trusted her reflection on the train window. She knew for sure that it was curling a little but not in the beachy waves type that every salt spray could advertise. It just looked that she had been stranded for the past two weeks. Tom was fidgeting with his fingers and it took him a solid minute to look into her eyes. And it happened only when she told him that she had to return his sweatshirt.

Tom, trying really hard not to be cliché, still said that she could keep it for the journey to her place, so she wouldn’t freeze her ass off. Sienna raised a brow and finally agreed. Not because she really wanted to keep his sweatshirt (it was comfortable, don’t get her wrong, but it was his sweatshirt) but because she was really cold and could use an extra layer. They parted after an awkward side hug or whatever their embrace was (Tom lifted his left arm up and lowered his right but then changed sides at the last moment and Sienna ended up faceplanting his chest, hurting her nose and leaving with teary eyes).

Since then, it’s not like Tom hadn’t tried. He just never really got a satisfying answer. Until that day, when Sienna was still correcting test cheats and read, for the fifth time, that Italy was a continent and she totally lost it. They hadn’t even put Italy at the Europe’s place. They had put Italy into Asia’s box. It was desperating and frankly annoying, as she now knew she had to go back to that particular lesson. But for that day, she was done with work and really wanted an escape from everything teaching involved. So, she texted Tom, since he was one of the few who did considered her like a person and not like a job.

Tom was ecstatic and he didn’t hide it so well. He texted her a bunch of exclamation points, followed by a string of excited emojis, all different but also all the same. That didn’t really make sense but it made her laugh. He said they could meet in a park near her place and she agreed, letting him know that there was a small one that went really unnoticed and where they would be at peace. Tom valued his privacy and it was something Sienna had guessed pretty easily when she had seen him on the platform, that morning of their trip, hidden underneath a large sweatshirt and a baseball cap. Still, he spoke of his fans with a certain sweetness and she knew that had they found him in Bournemouth, he would have stopped to at least take a selfie.

When Sienna finally made it to the park, she had his sweatshirt neatly folded in her handbag. She had cleaned it and ironed it, because she was that type of girl. Tom loved the gesture and thanked her as soon as she gave him back the item. But mostly, he had brought something with him that he was dying to show to Sienna. Or most accurately, someone. Tom had brought Tessa to the park, because the poor puppy was really wanting to run after squirrels and play somewhere else than her usual spot. Or at least, that’s what Tom said. The introductions went pretty well. Tessa let Sienna scratch her head, Sienna let Tessa lick her cheek. All well in the kingdom!

Sitting on the green grass, Tom had let Tessa run loose but was occasionally bringing her back to him by calling her or whistling. Sienna had her sunglasses on the nose and watched with amusement the staff dog run around and chase squirrels, her legs sprawled on the ground.

“So, what gave me the opportunity of another afternoon with you, Miss Porter?” Tom smiled.

“I was turning insane with the grading and correcting of test cheats, those kids have not learned a single bit of their geography lessons and let’s say that it frustrates me to no end” Sienna answered.

“How did Paddy do?”

“Pretty well, he’s done one of the best tests I’ve corrected so far. But that’s between me and him, I shouldn’t answer to your questions.”

“I was waiting for this..” Tom admitted, sheepishly.

“Listen Tom, I really enjoy spending some time with you. You’re fun and you’re understanding, which is more than I could ask for but..”

“But I’m your pupil’s brother and it’s not really ethical, isn’t it?”

“I could get in trouble, actually.”

“Is there a law or something?”

“I don’t know. But I do have a headmaster, you know.”

“True”, Tom sighed. “Does that mean we can’t be friends?”

“Of course not. It just means that it’s all we’re gonna be because I’m your brother’s teacher.”

Tom sighed a little bit more, then whistled Tessa who came straight to lie on his thighs. Sienna would have lied if asked if the view of Tessa sprawled over his legs wasn’t giving her major FOMO. Because Tessa had chosen to lie on his left, a part of her body was close enough to Sienna for her to scratch her short fur and enjoy the presence of the dog next to her. Tessa was a real sweetheart, not having a single aggressive bone in her.

“Listen, I really like spending time with you too”, Tom started. “And I don’t know what could happen in the future but we’re in April, the school year ends at the end of June, I guess we’ll see then if the situation has changed. But let’s be honest with each other in the meantime and if something evolves, let’s talk about this. Deal?”

The maturity with which Tom was handling the situation was enough to catch her breath. Sometimes, this guy surprised her to no end. She wasn’t that much into first moves because she was an overthinking type of girl who’d rather live with doubts of requited love than blow an entire friendship away because she misread the signs. She usually counted on the boys to make those first moves because she knew she was uncapable of doing so. Which probably explains why her ex-boyfriend had lasted barely two months and was a complete set-up by a then friend of hers. Was he really even her boyfriend? Hard to know. All they did was hold hands and kiss, and not once had a trip been made to France.

“Deal”, she ended up muttering, knowing though that she wouldn’t talk about it if she developed feelings for him.

“Don’t say that just to make me happy. Say that like you mean it.”

“I can’t. I don’t trust myself for this type of things. I hate awkward talks and I hate trying to read signals. It also keeps me up at night and makes me question everything about the situation and about me. I’m really good at overthinking and turning myself insane.”

“That’s precisely why I want us to talk about it if it changes. For now, you’re just a friend, but if it came to change on my side, I’ll let you know. So you don’t wonder and try to understand my actions. You’ll just know. I’m not good at hiding things, anyway”, he shrugged.

“I know that, Mister Spoiler-Alert”, she giggled.

“Not cool, Sienna. Not cool”, he laughed back.

The awkwardness was still there, very heavy on both their shoulders. They weren’t sure they both had been very honest, at the end. What kind of friends hold hands for hours and don’t seem bothered by it? Sure, if they had been five and in nursery school, maybe it’d have been okay but they were both in their twenties now and it just wasn’t something twenty-year-olds would do. Wouldn’t they?

Tessa was a patient girl, with a huge heart and a happy, wagging tail that made Sienna laugh way more than it should. She was excited to meet a new friend in the young woman and she was very happy with the discovery she had made. Sienna loved the dog instantly, even if she sometimes was a little bit afraid of her. Tessa wasn’t very big but she definitely was bigger than her little Storm and when she ran full speed at them because Tom wanted something with her, her face would get a little bit terrifying to the young woman. But then again, Tessa would crash between the two young adults and try to lick Sienna’s face, her tail wagging at her and happy (but soft) barks coming out of her. There was no way you could not love sweet Tessa.

Tom eventually offered to bring Sienna to a pub for a drink, which she accepted because it was already 7pm anyway and she hadn’t driven to the park. She paid for her own drink, Tom paid for his beer and they toasted and clinked their glasses happily, because they really were friends, despite their doubts that they could be more.

Sienna opened up a little bit more about herself: she spoke about her parents, about how her father was an accountant and how her mother worked in a big firm as a personal assistant. She spoke about her little sister and her big brother, about how he was still trying to figure out what to do of his life but was still studying economics. Her sister was barely eight but she was very mature, having a little brother after that, the oldest being twenty six. Tom spoke about his twin brothers, about how Harry was a genius in photography and directing and how Sam was a musical talent. He explained that Harry had played in a movie when he was younger, as Prince Harry, Diana being played by Naomi Watts. They joked about how they both shared the same fictional mother in two different movies and they discussed what type of music Sam was into. They talked about Tom’s father job and how he would always make him laugh. Tom talked a bit about what being an actor was for him: he was very comfortable with who he was and it wasn’t about fleeing from himself but the thrill he got when he impersonated someone or when he came up with ideas to build a character on screen, the buzz he felt when he’d use his body to create something were two of the main reasons why he wouldn’t change his career for the world. He loved being an actor, he loved being on a set, he loved being the centre of attention even though he was still grounded to Earth and knew the attention could vanish anytime.

Tom was a sweet guy and there was no denying of it.

When they both stopped talking for a minute, they realised it was 9pm. Tom ordered a basket of French fries and some fish sticks and pretended not to see when Sienna would dig into it. At one point, it became ridiculous to not do anything so he just slid the basket between them both and let her eat from it without feeling guilty, even though the amused face he couldn’t have hidden before had been a good indicator that she was fine stealing his food.

They parted ways at 11pm. They woke Tessa up from the dog basket that the bartender had put in a corner of the shop. She had slept the whole time, being exhausted from her time in the park chasing squirrels.

Tom walked Sienna home, just to make sure she was home safe and also because he didn’t want to leave her just yet. Sienna didn’t say anything but she appreciated the gesture: she didn’t want to leave Tom just yet either.

When she made it to her building, they took the elevator, Tessa sitting between the both of them and being very well behaved. Sienna’s hand was just above her head, which she took advantage of by lifting her muzzle just enough for it to touch her. Sienna laughed a little, recognising a little bit of Storm in her behaviour. She lovingly petted the dog, before the sliding doors of the elevator opened and she fished her keys from her handbag, Tom on her heels.

“It was nice spending some time with you” she admitted, as she slid her key into the door and unlocked it. “I’m sorry for having been such a bore lately, I really needed the time off apparently.”

“You had work to do, I get it” he smiled. “We should plan some more time off soon, though. I think you need some breaks some times. You can’t just work all the time.”

“It’s what I did until then, you know?”

“Don’t take it wrong but... It kinda shows. I mean... I didn’t see you before you started working but you look kind of... gloomy, I guess?” he blushed. “It looks like you’re exhausted, basically.”

“Gee, thanks Tom” she muttered, opening the door.

“I said ‘don’t take me wrong’… I’m just worried about you. From what I can see and what you tell me, you work all the time. It’s not healthy, physically and mentally, you know? You deserve some breaks.”

“Tell that to my pupils who wanna know what we’re gonna do every day.”

“I get that you have a mandatory pile of work that you can’t escape. I’m just worried sometimes... you just forget you can do something else too...”

Sienna didn’t answer to that. She wasn’t particularly hurt by the comment because she knew it herself but it made her wonder if maybe, she worked too much. Maybe some days, when she didn’t have to work anymore, she could do something else instead of opening another book.

“When’s the last time you’ve seen a friend?”

“This afternoon, I saw you”, she frowned.

“No, I mean, except me. When’s the last time you’ve seen like, a girl friend?”

“Gosh... Maybe a month? Or something like that...”

“You deserve breaks”, he repeated. “You can’t go on like this. You’ll drive yourself miserable and resentful. Please think about it, okay?”

Sienna nodded, putting her bag on the counter of her kitchen that was just next to the door. She shrugged her coat off and hung it behind the door, then came back to lean on the doorframe.

“Thanks for today, Tom”, she smiled. “It was really nice to get out and see you. And also to meet Tessa” she rejoiced, kneeling to pet the dog a little bit more. “You’re a sweet girl, Tessa! You’re a really cool dog, yes!”

She scratched Tessa’s head a bit and let her lick her cheek once again before she planted a kiss on her muzzle and stood back up. Tessa sat back down and observed Tom fiddling with the hem of his left sleeve.

“I guess I’ll see you later in the week?” he shyly asked.

“Sure! I’ll make sure to keep a slot open in my planning” she joked.

“Great. Maybe we could go watch a movie one night?”

“That’d be fine, yes! Text me when you’re free, okay?”

Tom nodded again, readjusting Tessa’s leash on his wrist. His nerves were on high alert and he didn’t quite know why. But as he tried to understand, he saw his right hand move to Sienna’s hip and get her closer to him. Not really sure how his body acted on its own, he went with it and hugged the girl for a couple of seconds, letting go when Tessa whined a little because she was eager to go back home.

They parted there, in the hall of her building floor, Sienna closing the door quietly, Tessa looking at Tom like he had grown a second head and with both bodies on either side of the door tingling like they had caught some bug.

Maybe the dreaded conversation was bound to happen sooner than expected.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while, I really lose track of time pretty badly.. If I could plan the chapters to go out on their own, I would, but apparently I have the memory of a sucky iPhone 3 lol  
> Here's a double update because this chapter is only a text conversation.  
> Have a Merry Christmas everyone! I hope it'll be nice, despite everything going on right now. I hope family time will go smoothly (I see you, if you dread those family reunions) and I hope you'll have that gift you really wanted. But most of all, I hope you'll be happy and loved.   
> If not, you can always have mine: Xx


	17. Chapter 17

When Sienna went back to school, she felt like maybe, she could win this year back. She was ready, she had every lesson planned out, she knew what she wanted to do and how she wanted to do it. But the kids? Jeez, they weren’t cooperative, at all. The classroom was a constant war zone with kids yelling at each other instead of working and boys fighting over a pen, as well as girls with petty arguments over who gets to play with who at recess. By the end of the week, Sienna was exhausted and felt like she needed holidays all over again. So, she welcomed the idea of Tom bringing her to the movies with a great relief because she really could use a distraction. They met in a small movie theatre that she had never seen before but only had a couple of projection rooms. Tom was early, she was right on time and they smiled like a couple of dorks when they saw each other. Tom hugged her lightly, she took the chance to sniff his jacket (she knew how good he smelled thanks to the time he lent her his sweatshirt) and they finally faced the different movie posters.

“They’re showing the new Disney movie, would you like to watch it?”

“Sure”, Sienna nodded. “Why not?”

“I heard there’s Oprah in it”, he grinned.

“You’re such a kid”, she laughed. “Don’t you have early access to infos like that, though?”

“I’m Team Marvel, which is Team Disney, so I could. But you forget that I tend to tell everything and nobody trusts me anymore”, he pouted.

“Aww, poor boy”, she smiled, ruffling his hair.

Tom laughed again, trying very hard to ignore the chills that went through his spine when she touched his hair. It was so dumb but he couldn’t help it. They paid for their tickets and made their way to the theatre, buying popcorn while they were at it. Tom added a bag of candy and Sienna grabbed a bottle of iced tea. It was barely three in the afternoon and here they were, in the dark, watching the ads for every movie that were about to be released this month.

And it was then that something Tom dreaded occurred. The trailer for Infinity War came up on screen.

Sienna squirmed in her seat, trying to not show how weird it felt to see him on the screen and Tom tried so hard to not watch her watching him that it got him a headache. As Spider-Man appeared on the screen, Tom couldn’t ignore the same proud feeling that always ran through his chest whenever he would see himself as the masked superhero. It was his dream job, his dream role and he got it. But then again, Sienna was looking rather gloomy on his side and he couldn’t bring himself to ask her why, even though they were the only ones in the room still. When finally his dumb ass said that his made-up name was Spider-Man, he couldn’t take it anymore and turned to Sienna.

“Are you okay?” he timidly asked.

“Yeah, don’t worry”, she breathed out.

“We’ll talk about it after the movie, you’re not okay and I want to know why”, Tom finally murmured.

Sienna nodded, because there wasn’t much else that she could do. Turned out the movie wasn’t that great for a Disney movie that involved Oprah and Chris Pine. The story was dragging some times and others, it felt like they rushed into it, without bothering with some important details. They both left the theatre feeling a bit weirded out, both by the movie and by what happened right before it. They were close to a mall so Tom said that they could get something to eat and since it was a bit cold, they went to the closest Starbucks they could find to get something hot to drink. Sienna got herself some tea, Tom went with coffee even though he knew it’d only freak him out even more. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two as they sat at a booth, like they didn’t know what to say anymore, in fear it’d break something between them. Tom nibbled at a slice of cake and Sienna hid her face between her paper mug. They fidgeted with whatever they could find until Tom couldn’t take it anymore.

“Okay, what’s going on?”

Sienna let out a shaky breath. What could she say? She didn’t really know herself what was going on in her brain, let alone why she felt gloomy and weird. So she just shrugged and drank some more tea because she had no idea what words she could use to explain this.

“Before you saw the trailer, everything was okay and then you kinda closed off on me. I’m not sure why. Is it because you really don’t like my stuff and don’t know how to say it? Because I can take it. I’m not close-minded like that, you know and-”

“No, it’s not that. I already told you that I loved your movies. Well, most of them, because the one about the third world war was way too weird for me. It’s just... I guess I finally realised that you were that big actor and that you were known in the entire world.”

“Is it a bad thing for you?”

“No... It’s just weird, I guess? I mean... I’m... Well, I’m just me, a small teacher and you’re hanging out with me when you could hang out with Scarlett Johansson, you know?”

“Yeah, but you’re my friend, why wouldn’t I hang out with you?”

“You were already famous when we met. What makes me so special that you, that guy I just saw like… ten times bigger than usual on a screen in a movie theatre... wants to hang out with me?”

“Truth be told, I haven’t figured it out yet. I know there’s something, I just don’t know what yet. But I’ll tell you as soon as I know.”

Sienna nodded again, sipping on her tea and playing with the hem of her jacket. Seeing her like that, doubting herself and trying to depreciate herself, broke his heart. She was such a cool person and she didn’t deserve to feel like she wasn’t. And yes, it was true that Tom didn’t know what made her special yet, but he didn’t lie when he said that there was something. Maybe it was the fact that she cared so much about her pupils and wanted to be the best teacher ever, or maybe it was the way she’d held Storm when he’d walked her home that last time and she’d been too drunk to realise she was re-enacting the Lion King. Or maybe it was the way she couldn’t help but laugh so loud and smile so big. Maybe it was all of it. Maybe there was something else too. But all he knew was that he found himself attracted to her like a fly to a shining light and that he was scared someday, he’d be zapped out cold on the ground.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I just realised that the movie being released in like three weeks means that you’re gonna have to go on a press tour”, she muttered, stealing a piece of cake.

“Oh...”

“Yeah...”, she replied back. “When are you leaving?”

“In two days, actually”, he started. “I’m going to the US for some press junkets and then I go on diverse television shows before I end up here in London for a special fan event. Speaking of which, I get to bring some plus ones. Of course, my family got passes but I still have one. Would you like to join?”

“I don’t know... I’m not sure I’m ready for our worlds to really collide.”

“I get it. I can get you a ticket in the audience, though, if you prefer?”

“Still not sure it’d be far enough from the glam and the shining lights”, she admitted. “Listen, it’s not that I’m not happy for you, nor proud. Because I am. You worked hard for this and you got what you wanted, which is amazing. But I’m a teacher and you’re a movie star. Don’t you think we live on like two different planets?”

“We wouldn’t be sitting at the same table if we were now, would we?”

“It’s just... When I’m with you, I’m with Tom, who happens to be my pupil’s big brother. When you’re on screen or in a movie, you’re Tom Holland and I’m not sure there’s room in Tom Holland’s life for little-old Sienna Porter, you know?”

“But is there room for Tom Holland in Sienna Porter’s life? Because I promise I’ll make space for you, Sienna. Like… If you come with me, you’ll be with my family and Harrison, and I won’t let you alone, except for the moment I’ll have to be on stage you know…”

“It’s exactly what I meant. I’m not sure I’m ready to see you on stage. So far, I like being your friend and I like hanging with you, because you feel normal to me. When I watch your movies, you’re not here and in some twisted ways, my brain hasn’t fully connected you to the guy acting on screen. But if I see you on stage, there won’t be place for doubts anymore. Do you understand?” she grimaced.

“I know you think you sound silly but I really get it. Take some time to think about it and tell me what you wanna do later, okay? In the meantime, I’m leaving in two days so let’s have a nice afternoon together and try to forget about it?”

Sienna nodded again. Because it was something she was used to do, in the end. It’s not like she wasn’t really good with words, she just never knew when to use them or how. And Tom usually made her wordless, anyway, because he kept throwing her off and surprising her, so she never knew what to do. However, she knew what she wanted to do, that day. She wanted to enjoy his company, for as long as she could, so she wouldn’t regret it when, on Monday morning, she’d receive a text from Tom saying that he was leaving, as she was in class teaching her pupils a new maths lesson. She’d try not to look at Paddy but still throw him a glance and notice how gloomy he seemed to be, knowing his big brother was off to some adventures without him, because he was stuck in school. She’d also pretend that only his poor little pout was breaking her heart, when really, she already missed Tom but didn’t know what to do about it just yet.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's not really a chapter, I promise that something to read is coming this week ;)  
> Wishing you all a nice 2021, hoping it'll be easier on everyone's mind than 2020.  
> Xx


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's a real chapter to compensate with the very short one of this week ;)  
> Have a nice weekend, everyone! Xx

For a couple of weeks, Sienna only met with Harry when it was time to release her pupils from school on the afternoons. On the last day of the third week, Harrison, Tom’s best friend, picked little Patrick up and came to chat a bit with Sienna. He was obviously curious as to why Tom spoke highly of her and wanted to make his own opinion of the young teacher. Also, he came bearing a surprise, as he got a white envelope from the pocket inside of his jacket, with a typed out Sienna Porter printed on it.

“What is this?”, Sienna timidly asked.

“I know you told Tom you weren’t sure you were ready for this but Tom wanted to make sure you had the complete choice. He wrote you a note inside, explaining everything. He couldn’t come himself so he asked me to pass it to you”, Harrison explained. “Don’t tell him I said that but I think he really wants to share this with you. I’m not trying to push you on this but it’ll be a fun night and I’ll be there with you if you want, we can totally stay away from everything and watch Tom on a screen outside of the main arena. Just... Yeah, think about it, I guess?”

“Thanks Harrison. I promise I will.”

Patrick left with a big grin on his face, happy to spend some time with Harrison and Sienna went back to her classroom, once every kid had been released to a parent, ready to end this long day of work. The classroom was a giant mess, as always. Even with a kid responsible of sweeping the place, it still was disgusting. Pens were scattering all over the floor (she did ask for them to pick up their stuff before going out), dirt was still peppered all across the room and some kids had left their stuff on their desks. Sighing, Sienna grabbed the broom and took on herself to clean the space, so that nobody could say she was careless and thoughtless about the cleaning ladies, though they were paid to do exactly what she was doing, while she wasn’t. She picked up the pens and pencils, put them all in the found stuff box and carefully tidied the books and exercise books in the desks. She put the chairs on the tables and then sat at her desk to grade some papers and make sure everything was in order. When she finally lifted her nose from the stack of papers, it was almost 7 o’clock and the school had been silent for at least an hour and a half. Sienna groaned when she stood up, stretched her legs and back and massaged her neck for a second or two. The school day had been long, the kids had been particularly hard on her, but that was a side effect of the gloomy weather. She had sent a kid home with an extra assignment to punish him for his bad behaviour and two girls had been so nasty to each other that they both ended up crying by the end of the afternoon. Needless to say, all she wanted was to go home, sit on her couch with Storm and possibly fall asleep in front of a movie. What she didn’t know, though, was that her friend Liv would be sitting on the floor in front of her door when she finally made it home.

“What the heck are you doing here?” she exclaimed, struggling to balance her teacher bag, her tote bag full of exercise books and her lunch box.

“Good evening to you too”, Liv ironized.

“Sorry, you surprised me”, Sienna blushed. “You should have called me; I would’ve come home earlier.”

“Jeez, I tried!” Liv yelled.

“I’m sorry”, Sienna apologised sheepishly. “I was grading papers and I lost track of time.”

“Yeah, as always...” Liv rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “You really should stop doing so much, Sienna. You’re gonna end up with a nasty burnout.”

“I know, I know, you already told me that”, she whispered, apologetically. “Here, the door’s unlocked, make yourself at home.”

She really didn’t have to say it. Liv was Sienna’s oldest friend and they basically were like sisters. It was surprising that Liv didn’t have a spare key of Sienna’s place, though she took care of Storm once, when Sienna had to go back home in a hurry when her uncle passed. Liv was the closest thing of a sister that Sienna had here, in London. They met when Sienna arrived in the big city for her studies and never let go of each other. It had been six years now, Sienna being barely eighteen when she moved away from her place and Liv being just a year older. Now being almost twenty-three and Liv being twenty-four, they lived at about ten minutes from each other but could see each other about once per month, at most. Their friendship was mostly on screens, whether it was Facetime or texts or Twitter or even Instagram, but Liv was now working at an event managements company and spent most of her weekends at events she helped organise, while Sienna usually spent her weekends hunched over a stack of exercise books and papers to be graded.

There was a big step between their worlds and they couldn’t deny it, but it never made them angry towards each other, so that already was a good point.

“Who puked in your class today?”

“Nobody”, Sienna breathed out, relieved. “Don’t make me relive this horrendous day, please”, she shuddered.

“Did you kill someone?”

“In my head, yes. I’m a serial killer, but only mentally.”

“So, you’re still free, that’s nice”, Liv laughed out. “C’mon, gimme that tote bag of yours because you’re turning into Quasimodo.”

Without a word, Sienna handed out her bag to her friend, thankfully, though it wasn’t her tote bag that was the heaviest but her leather briefcase that she was carrying ever since she got into the job. The bag in which she had slipped Tom’s invitation, that was weighing her down like she was carrying a dead corpse. Liv frowned when she saw her friend crash into her couch, still fully dressed in her coat and with her bag at her feet. Some days, Liv had to remind herself that her friend was only twenty-three and had to handle a big load of responsibilities. Being the only adult in a room for most of the day? Liv had no idea how Sienna could handle it, even less when it happened five times a week, four weeks per month. She would have killed one of those little-footed monsters before she could say “no thanks”. But Sienna seemed to live for that, she had an unlimited patience for them and enjoyed teaching them basic stuff that Liv could have learned on her own (or maybe she just didn’t remember having learned them with her teachers in her early years). Still, to see Sienna so low when she came back from work wasn’t that rare but it was a new low that Liv didn’t know yet.

“Hey, you’re alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I just... Remember the guy I told you about?”

“You mean that hottie who plays a superhero in very tight and very bright spandex? Sure, how could I forget him?” Liv sassed back.

“He invited me to an event for the new Marvel movie and let’s just say that I’m not sure I’m gonna go.”

“What the hell, Sienna?! Why wouldn’t you go?”

“Because I’m me, and he’s him, and I’m not sure how we’re supposed to share that space together.”

Liv sighed. If there was one thing that didn’t change and stayed constant in their lives, it was Sienna’s self-confidence. Or more exactly, lack of. For as long as she could remember, Sienna didn’t like to be the centre of attention. In their only common class they had met in, she would always sit in the back, in the last rows of the auditorium, where the light would struggle to reach her face and she’d never raise a hand. Liv met her because she got late once and had to sit at the same row; she struggled with her computer and Sienna wordlessly helped her to unfreeze it. To thank her, Liv invited her for a drink and she had to pretty much drag her all across the campus to find that little café where nobody was going for Sienna to eventually accept. After that, she made sure that Liv would be the only one sitting next to her and she always let her do the presentations on both their behalves so she wouldn’t have to speak in front of an audience. Being in front of kids was okay, they weren’t judgemental yet and she was the figure of authority so there wasn’t a chance for them to deny her the respect that was due, but in front of adults? She would rather perish at the hands of the Evil Queen, really. Or even the Red Skull, to fit the Marvel theme.

It wasn’t very much of a surprise to hear that Sienna wasn’t sure she belonged next to Tom. She had the tendency of depreciating herself, when Liv thought the world of her, but Liv had learned with time that there was no possible way that she could have changed her mind. As much as she loved her best friend, she wouldn’t be able to help much if Sienna didn’t start by loving herself and trusting her choices and abilities. When she mentioned Tom for the first time, Liv thought that she would never speak to the guy, unless she was spoken to first. She hadn’t realised that they had chatted for a bit, until Sienna sheepishly said that he had invited her for a drink back a few months ago. And when she posted a picture of Bournemouth, Liv had to basically pound on her door for her to finally admit that the girl on Tom’s picture was actually herself. From that point, Liv knew that there was no way Tom was going to end up just a friend. They were going faster than Liv ever knew Sienna was able to and Tom seemed to like her enough to ask her to come at his event.

Still, if Sienna wasn’t comfortable going, she could only understand why and not press the matter, unless she wanted to be asked to leave.

“I know you have some personal issues to deal with, but don’t you deserve a nice evening for once?”

“I can have a nice evening, here, with you.”

“I’m not talking about myself, Sienna. You know what I mean. This guy wants to spend time with you. He just wants to hang out. With you. That has to mean something.”

“I don’t know... It’s fine when we’re alone, but I’m not sure I’m ready for a whirlwind of flashes and glitters and press articles. My comfort zone is a closed classroom, with a whiteboard and the papers I read are usually about grammar or maths. I’m not ready to get outside of this world.”

“I get it”, Liv sighed. “Just think about it, okay? Maybe you can stay outside as much as possible and not be seen?”

“I can... But what’s the point of going if all I do is hide in a corner where I won’t see anything? I’m just not comfortable with the fact that he’s that super famous actor. I like the guy. I don’t like the job.”

Liv nodded. She knew that being able to distinguish a person from a job wasn’t the problem for Sienna. She repeated enough that she wasn’t just a teacher. But she also knew that Sienna was this creature of the dark and that, if being alone with Tom was the only way for her to be with the guy, then she had to accept it. She was convinced that Sienna hadn’t told her the full story (and she was right, for if she knew that Tom had put her to bed once, she wouldn’t be able to shut up about it) but she was used to it by now. Sienna would open up at her own rhythm, when she’d feel ready to.

When Liv finally left Sienna’s place, three hours and an improvised dinner later, Sienna crashed into bed, exhausted and finally ready to sleep. She had taken Tom’s envelope from her bag before showering and it was now resting on her bedside table, always staying in a corner of her peripheral vision.

Storm was now lying on her right, spread from his whiskers to his paws’ pads, unaware of how his human was struggling so hard not to tear the whole envelope apart. Sighing, she eventually turned on her side, took the envelope and stared at it, like it contained some poison ivy leaves. Her name was written in quite round letters, a nice handwriting for a guy (compared to Patrick’s handwriting, it was definitely a nice upgrade, at least) and she found it extremely sweet that he took the time to hand write her name himself when she knew he had a personal assistant who could have done it for him. Now she was curious. Harrison spoke about a note and she wasn’t sure what he could have to say to convince her, but she suddenly couldn’t wait to see it. Ripping the thick envelope open, she found a pass with a bright purple lanyard and saw that it had her name on it. The picture above her name was the one used for the movie poster but underneath her name, the mention of Tom’s name and the fact that she was one of his guests was apparent. Pushing the pass on her bedside table, she retrieved Tom’s note and appreciated the fact that he took a nice white page with no line on it (hence the fact that his lines weren’t really straight, but who cares?). He had written it by hand. No typed letter, no assistant to write instead of him, he wrote it himself, without a streak so that meant he probably had to do a draft version before. Sienna’s heart glowed a little on the inside. Rolling on her back, she put the paper above her head, using the soft golden hue of her night lamp, appreciating every word that Tom chose to lay on the paper.

> _Sienna,_
> 
> _I wanted to start the letter with “Dear”, but I’m not sure we’re there yet. All I know is that I’d love to have you at my press event, here, in London. I know it’s not something you’re really comfortable attending, so I won’t be mad if you decide to not show up. Just know that the entrance will stay open for you, as long as you show your pass to the people handling guests._
> 
> _Ever since I met you, all I wanted was to get to know you and I’m really happy you’ve let me see glimpses of your character and your life. This is a very big glimpse of mine, as acting has been a major part of my life for ten years or so, now. I’ve always been pretty comfortable with myself, so it’s not about hiding behind a mask, but the idea to bring something to life is highly satisfying to me. I guess, if we had to compare, it’d be like you when Patrick finally understands what a verb is. That intense feel of relief, pride and happiness to know that, that’s it, your work paid off and a kid has finally got it? That’s what I feel when I help make a movie._
> 
> _I know this is a lot to ask from you. We talked about it already and I know you may not be ready for it, whether it’s because it’s a confirmation of my very public life or because you’re not ready to see so much of me yet. In case you decide to come, just know that Harrison will be with you and will accommodate you as best as he can. He already knows not to question anything you might ask. If the eventuality of you not coming happens, then I won’t be disappointed. I’ll understand if you need more time. I just hope you won’t find this the perfect occasion to drop me out of your life. I still have things to discover about you and I promise you, you still have things to discover about me. I promise I’m not my job, like you aren’t yours, but I also have to admit that my job implies bigger things than yours (not that I find myself to be better than you, far from that! You’re the best of us both, trust me) and I understand if you’re not ready to handle everything that comes with it._
> 
> _Just tell me what you’re okay with and I’ll work from that. I can’t wait to spend more time with you._
> 
> _Tom x_

Smiling like a dumbass, Sienna folded the paper back, putting it down against her face. It smelled like paper and ink, but it also had the faintest smell of Tom’s perfume and for that, she was grateful. Closing her eyes, she felt that pang of regret, having given Tom back his sweatshirt. She would have hated to be that cliché, but the idea of falling asleep with a little piece of Tom was more appealing than it should have been. Scared by that idea, she put the letter carefully on her nightstand and rolled her back to it, grabbing Storm gently and pushing her nose to his grey fur.

For now, Storm was the only guy she could fully handle in her life.


End file.
